Chelyabinsk, Russia: Light Heavy: Sergey Kovalev (34-3-1) W TKO 11 Anthony Yarde (18-1). Cruiser: Ilunga Makabu (26-2) W PTS 12 Aleksei Papin (11-1). Heavy: Evgeny Romanov (14-0) W TKO 1 Dario Balmaceda (19-18-2).Kovalev vs. YardeKovalev’s experience was the telling factor in this one as recovers from near defeat to outlast and stop a dangerous Yarde and retain his WBO title.Round 1A steady opening from both fighters. The difference was the consistent accuracy of Kovalev’s jab. Yarde was confident trying some rights and clipping Kovalev with a left but sparing with his punches.Score: 10-9 KovalevRound 2The pace quickened in the second with both fighters throwing more. Yarde looked dangerous with rights but again it was the nagging accuracy of Kovalev’s jab which he kept slipping through Yarde’s guard that was picking up the points.Score: 10-9 Kovalev Kovalev 20-18Round 3Yarde came forward at the start of the round and connected with a good left. He was matching Kovalev until the last minute when again Kovalev was piercing Yarde’s guard with a succession of jabs Score: 10-9 Kovalev Kovalev 30-27Round 4A dominant round for Kovalev. Yarde had no answer to the champions jab. He couldn’t block it and he couldn’t get past it. Kovalev was coming in behind the jab with quick punches from both hands and brining his right cross into the action.Score: 10-9 Kovalev Kovalev 40-36Official Scores: Judge Julio Cesar Alvarado: 39-37 Kovalev, Judge Deon Dwarte 40-36 Kovalev, Judge Zoltan Enyedi 40-36 KovalevRound 5Yarde finally began to let his hands go in the fifth and connected with some good combinations. His attacks put Kovalev on the back foot for the first time. Kovalev was still getting through with jabs but not so many and Yarde was coming forward throwing punches at the end of the round. Score: 10-9 Yarde Kovalev 49-46Round 6Kovalev out jabbed and outworked Yarde to take this one. Yarde was looking to trade but Kovalev kept moving, kept jabbing and adding an occasional combination with Yarde just not throwing enough punches.Score: 10-9 Kovalev Kovalev 59-55Round 7Clearly Yarde’s round. He was taking the fight to Kovalev getting inside and landing with heavy lefts hooks to the body and clumping rights to the head. Kovalev was looking tired and holding to try to smother Yarde’s attacks.Score: 10-9 Yarde Kovalev 68-65Round 8A huge round for Yarde. He was storming forward throwing punches particularly his trade mark left hooks to the body. Kovalev was looking tired and when Yarde pinned him to the ropes and rocked him with head punches it looked possible that Yarde might stop him but Kovalev made it to the bell. One judge made this a 10-8 round for Yarde.Score: 10-9 Yarde Kovalev 77-75Official Scores: Judge Alvarado: 77-76 Kovalev, Judge Dwarte 78-74 Kovalev, Judge Enyedi 77-75 KovalevRound 9Panic over. Kovalev boxed his way through this round. Jabs, hooks, uppercuts, none heavy but all, scoring. Yarde looked to have punched himself out and his punch output dropped to almost zero as Kovalev worked effectively if not spectacularly. Score: 10-9 Kovalev Kovalev 87-84Round 10Kovalev knew he had the fight won and began to turn the screw. Suddenly he was throwing clusters of punches. Most of them were landing and there was very little coming back from an exhausted Yarde as Kovalev pummelled him in a corner at the end of the round.Score: 10-9 Kovalev Kovalev 97-93Round 11Yarde made a brave attempt to take the fight to Kovalev but the Russian was teeing off with rights to the head as Yarde floundered. Kovalev tossed Yarde to the floor and Yarde had nothing left. In the end it was a still left jab that put Yarde down and ended the fight. There were signs in this fight that at 36 Kovalev is by no means the force he was and if Yarde had paced the fight better the result could have been different but on the plus side he overcame a dangerous opponent and is now hoping to get a huge payday against Saul Alvarez. Kovalev constituted a huge step up in quality of opposition for Yarde but he showed he could compete at this level and will probably land another title shot late in 2010.Makabu vs. Papin Makabu retains the WBC Silver title with majority decision over Russian Papin with the Congolese fighter needing a last round knockdown to hold on to that title. Papin made a promising start sending Makabu staggering back with a right and working well with his longer reach. Makabu upped his pace in the second but Papin scored well with a hook and found the distance with his jab and straight right. Makabu was rolling in the third. He was jabbing well with his right and getting inside and banging hooks to Papin’s body. It was a similar story in the fourth and fifth . Papin was scoring at distance but Makabu was coming forward and banging hurtful hooks to the body. Makabu went low with a punch in the fourth and was given a stern warning but he was still firing hurtful hooks to the ribs. Papin did some good work with his jab and light combinations at the start of the sixth but the relentless attacks and body punching from Makabu soon had the Russian in retreat. Makabu dominated the seventh rocking Papin with an uppercut and the Russian had a small cut over his right eye caused by a punch. Makabu again had Papin under pressure in the eighth and Papin slipped to the floor. It was rightly ruled a slip but he was not relishing the pressure. Papin moved more and threw more punches in the ninth and did enough to make the tenth close but for me Makabu was way in front. The eleven was a good round for Makabu. He began by out jabbing the Russian before Papin bounced back with some quick, light counters. At the end of the round Makabu knocked an exhausted Papin into the ropes and then connected with a series of hooks and uppercuts that had Papin ready to go down when the bell saved him. Papin made a bright start to the last round firing combinations through the defence of Makabu. He then ran out of steam and Makabu was forcing him back with hooks and uppercuts and a straight left sent Papin down. He was up quickly but looked unsteady . By the time the count was completed there were less than 30 seconds left in the round and to his credit Papin walked forward and drove Makabu back with punches. Scores 115-113 and 114-113 for Makabu and 114-114 which meant that before the 10-8 in the last Makabu was behind on two cards and only level on the third which just did not square with the way that Makabu had so clearly dominated much of the fight, The 31-year-old from the DRC rightly got the win. He is No 1 with the WBC and since Olek Usyk has moved up to heavy that WBC title is now vacant. The position is slightly complicated by the WBSS Tournament that is still ongoing. The WBC No 2 is Krzys Glowacki who was beaten inside the distance by WBO champion Mairis Breidis in June, No 3 is Krzys Wlodarczyk who has won his last four fights and No 4 is Noel Gevor who also lost to Breidis. Breidis is the WBC “Diamond” champion-whatever that means and I just hope the WBC don’t try to jump on the WBSS bandwagon and make the Breidis vs. Yuniel Dorticos clash for their vacant title and screw Makabu that way. This was too ambitious a match for Papin at this stage but the former World Kickboxing has the backing to get a title shot sometime.Romanov vs. BalmacedaRomanov blasts out poor Balmaceda inside a round. Balmaceda was using his longer reach to probe with jabs but there was no power there. Eventually Romanov managed to get past the jab and connected with a left to the head that saw Balmaceda go down on one knee. After the eight count Romanov forced Balmaceda to the ropes and the Argentinian again touched the canvas trying to avoid the punches and the referee gave him another count. Balmaceda then tried to take the fight to Romanov but as he came forward Romanov caught him with a couple of head punches that did not look hard. Balmaceda went to his knees and was counted out as he was getting up. Tenth win by KO/TKO for 34-year-old Romanov but this one was too easy. His selling point is his third round kayo of Deontay Wilder in a Russia vs. USA match back in 2008 but now he needs to make his mark in the pros. At 6’0” and with short arms he will struggle against the bigger fighters. Balmaceda was taller at 6’3” but this is his eleventh loss by KO/TKO.

Hermosillo, Mexico: Super Fly: Juan F Estrada (40-3) W TKO 9 Dewayne Beamon (16-2-1). Super Light: Shakhram Giyasov (9-0) W TKO 1Darleys Perez (34-5-2). Heavy: Filip Hrgovic (9-0) W KO 3 Mario Heredia (16-7-1). Super Welter: Liam Smith (28-2-1) W TKO 7 Mario Lozano (33-10).Super Feather: Jono Carroll (16-1-1) W PTS 10 Eleazar Valenzuela (20-11-4,1ND).Middle: Diego Pacheco (5-0) W KO 1 Jose Esparza (1-1).Estrada vs. BeamonEstrada retains the WBC with stoppage of a very competitive Beamon. Round 1Estrada threw some hooks early but was short. Beamon began to find the target with his jab. He was missed with a couple of rights but continued to land the jab and had Estrada under fire at the bell. Score: 10-9 BeamonRound 2Beamon rushed forward firing punches in the second but Estrada landed a good right and when Beamon backed him to the ropes he put Beamon down with a counter left hook. Beamon was up immediately and looking aggrieved claiming he fell when he was off balance. After the count Beamon was looking to trade with Estrada but a right to the body and a left to the head had Beamon toppling to the side and he put his glove down to steady himself resulting in a count. Beamon was willing to exchange punches as he tried to regain some ground but Estrada was more accurate. Score: 10-7 Estrada Estrada 19-17Round 3Things looked bleak for Beamon as Estrada began to put his punches together. He was coming forward raking Beamon with hooks and uppercuts with Beamon on the retreat. Beamon landed a cracking right but Estrada again put together some hurtful combinations.Score: Score 10-9 Estrada Estrada 29-26Round 4Beamon has a busy style and he was certainly busy in this round. He was rolling forward shooting out jabs and then getting in close and connecting with short punches. Estrada was picking Beamon off on the way in but was being outworked until Beamon went onto the back foot late in the round allowing Estrada to score but it was Beamon’s round although he had picked up a small nick by his left eye.Score: 10-9 Beamon Estrada 38-36Round 5It was all Beamon in the fifth. He pressed his attacks hard forcing Estrada to the ropes and bombarding him with punches from both hands. Estrada was blocking or dodging many of the punches but was throwing few counters. Just to show how unconcerned he was by Beamon’s attacks Estrada on three occasions just stood at the ropes and draped his right arm over the top rope. Real cool, but no points for that. Score: 10-9 Beamon Estrada 47-46Round 6Beamon continued his frenzied attacks. Estrada was being forced back and although he was connecting with occasional counters once again it was Beamon throwing more an landing many of them. Estrada picked up his pace in the middle of the round but was then being forced back as Beamon showered him with punches some wild but some on target and he mockingly escorted Estrada back to his corner at the end of the round.Score: 10-9 Beamon Tied 56-56Round 7Estrada needed to get his act together as he was letting this fight slip away. In the seventh although Beamon was still attacking Estrada was jarring him with accurate punches at distance and with short hooks inside. Some of the fire had gone out of a tiring Beamon and he was being rocked by hard single shots from Estrada. In a frantic finish to the round Beamon was stumbling forward into a storm of punches from Estrada and a right to the side of the head wobbled him badly.Score: 10-9 Estrada Estrada 66-65Round 8A subdued Beamon connected with some rights in the round but Estrada was rocking him with savage rights and staggered Beamon a couple of times and was slowly breaking down the exhausted challenger.Score: 10-9 Estrada Estrada 76-74Round 9Beamon had nothing left to give and Estrada teed-off on him with lefts and rights until the referee stepped in and stopped the fight. This proved a tougher fight than anticipated with Beamon very much in it until he tired. Next for Estrada could be a third bout with Thai Srisaket as they are 1-1 in their series . Beamon had done nothing to deserve a rating let alone a title shot but he showed plenty of fire and aggression and was giving Estrada a hard night before he tired and his showing may get him a shot at a title next year.Giyasov vs. PerezGiyasov gets this one over and finished in just 41 seconds-including the count. The Uzbek pushed out a few tentative jabs and then stepped in with a looping left hook to the chin and Perez went down on his posterior. He sat on the canvas looking bemused and had only just started to rise as the referee reached ten. The 26-year-old Giyasov won a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics and gold at the 2017 World Championships. This is his seventh win by KO/TKO. He retains the WBA International title and is there No 10. Colombian Perez, a former holder of the secondary WBA lightweight title drew then lost to Anthony Crolla in title fights and subsequently lost inside the distance to Luke Campbell and Maxim Dadashev.Hrgovic vs. HerediaHrgovic gets another inside the distance win but over a sub-standard opponent who was 8” shorter and 45lbs heavier. Hrgovic was finding the target with rights from the opening minute. Heredia managed to get through with a couple of jabs but other than that was just slinging wild roundhouse punches. Hrgovic used a strong jab to keep Heredia going back and connected with overhand rights. In the second Heredia came forward constantly. Hrgovic met him with right crosses and uppercuts but Heredia managed to land a few shots, took the punishment and kept rolling forward. Hrgovic ended things in the third. He forced Heredia to the ropes with his jab and then blasted Heredia with a booming right to the head then clipped him with a left that helped him on the way to the floor. Heredia made it to his feet but was unsteady and the fight was stopped. Hrgovic retains the WBC International belt and gets his seventh inside the distance win. He is rated WBA 6/WBC 11/IBF 12(11) but as his best wins are over Kevin Johnson and Amir Mansour it is difficult to justify those ratings. He is 27, 6’6” and is strong and punches hard but is still settling into the pro ranks and we will need to see him against better opposition where his lack of speed might be a weakness. Mexican Heredia, 26, is now 2-6-1 in his last 9 fights with 6 of those losses by KO/TKO.Smith vs. LozanoAnother win for Smith as former WBO super welter champion moves up to middleweight and keeps his hopes of another title fight alive. Smith was piling on the pressure from the opening round moving forward behind a high guard and shook Lozano with a heavy right. Lozano was mainly on the back foot but did come forward occasionally with smart hooks. Smith continued to press in the second going to the body with left hooks. Lozano was fighting in bursts throwing lots of hooks. Lozano changed tactics and came forward at the start of the third but the strength, some string jabs, and left hooks to the body soon had Smith in control again. Smith took the fifth and six scoring with left hooks to the body and clubbing rights and Lozano was slowing. Lozano put in a big effort at the start of the sixth but then Smith’s pressure had Lozano in trouble and just before the bell Lozano dropped to the floor under a barrage of punches from Smith. He just made it to his feet and Smith tried to find a finishing punch but the bell saved Lozano. The Mexican tried to punch with Smith in the seventh but Smith forced him to the ropes and two left hooks sent Lozano down and the referee halted the contest. The 31-year-old from Liverpool has lost to Saul Alvarez and Jamie Munguia in title fights but is No 6 super welter with the WBO so if Jaime Munguia moves up to middleweight then there is a good chance Smith will be in the mix for the vacant title. Lozano has been in with some high quality opposition and last time out only lost on a majority verdict to 29-1 Patrick Teixeira so was in decent form.Carroll vs. ValenzuelaDublin southpaw Carroll gets back into winning ways with unanimous decision over Mexican Valenzuela. The Mexican reddened Carroll’s face early with jabs but Carroll was investing in some strong body punches that would pay dividends over the later rounds. Valenzuela kept taking the fight to Carroll which suited the Irishman as he loves a fight and didn’t have to go looking for one. Movers can give Carroll trouble but Valenzuela was slow and predictable but resilient. Neither fighter cared too much about defence so there were plenty of exchanges with both landing well but Carroll had more power. He handed out some serious punishment in the later rounds but Valenzuela never really looked to be in trouble and was landing his smaller share of punches. There was quantity but not a lot of accuracy or power in the Mexican’s work and Carroll was a clear winner. Scores 98-92 for Carroll on each of the three cards. A useful ten rounds of work for Carroll in his first fight since losing on points to Tevin Farmer for the IBF title in March. Now he will be aiming to work his way back to another title challenge. Valenzuela was tough but limited but was a decent 7-1,1ND going in.Pacheco vs. EsparzaPacheco gets his third win in a row-all coming in the first round. Well down the in the billing and only five fights but worth drawing to your attention. The 6’4” 18-year-old won plenty of Youth titles and is one to watch. Esparza just a prelim novice so no measure of Pacheco’s potential.

Manila, Philippines: Bantam: John Riel Casimero (28-4) W KO 10 Cesar Ramirez (18-4). Bantam: Vincent Astrolabio (14-3) W TKO 5 Kevin Aseniero (9-3-1). Super Feather: Charly Suarez (3-0) W TKO 1 Virgil Puton (17-13-2).Casimero vs. RamirezCasimero knocks out challenger Ramirez to retain the interim WBO title but Ramirez proved to be a very tough challenger and dominated the action at times until a great combination from Casimero ended the fight.Round 1Ominous first round for Ramirez. Casimero was fired up and looking to end this early. He was steaming forward throwing punches as Ramirez pedalled backwards around the ring. Casimero connected with jabs and hooks to the body. Ramirez was just poking out his jab trying to use his longer reach. He rushed in with a couple of attacks late in the round but Casimero easily avoided them.Score: 10-9 CasimeroRound 2Casimero chased Ramirez in this one but rarely caught him. Ramirez kept sticking out tentative jabs and then launching clumsy attacks. He had some success and managed to tie Casimero up inside and with Casimero off target the few punches Ramirez landed were enough for him to edge this one Score: 10-9 Ramirez Tied 19-19Round 3Both fighters were wild with their punches as Casimero tried to hunt down Ramirez and the challenger kept moving. Ramirez lunged forward to take the fight to Casimero and was caught with a left to the head. He staggered and his legs went in different direction as he fell to the floor. He was up at seven and evaded Casimero’s attempts to land another heavy punch Score: 10-8 Casimero Casimero 29-27Round 4Ramirez’s round. He stuck to his jab and was using it to force Casimero onto the back foot. Casimero just could not get past the jab and Ramirez was scoring with long rights and banged home a crisp left hook to dominate the round.Score: 10-9 Ramirez Casimero 38-37Round 5Ramirez was working the jab again in this one but as he launched an attack both he and Casimero missed with their punch but Ramirez stumbled and fell. The referee decided it was a knockdown and gave Ramirez a count. When the action resumed Ramirez again did the scoring. He was spearing Casimero with jabs and then unleashing combinations. Casimero was looking to throw rights and again had no answer to Ramirez’s jab. No real justice here. The knockdown was no knockdown and as Ramirez outboxed Casimero what would have been a 10-9 round for Ramirez became a 10-8 round for Casimero costing Ramirez three pointsScore: 10-8 Casimero Casimero 48-45Round 6Casimero was finding the target with single shots until the last minute. Over the remaining minute Ramirez was piling forward driving Casimero back and showering the champion with punches from both hands. A lot of Ramirez’s punches were missing but he connected with two heavy rights to the head. Casimero was too busy defending to counter and it was Ramirez’s roundScore: 10-9 Ramirez Casimero 57-55Round 7This was an untidy round but an important one. Casimero was finding the target early and after hurting Ramirez with a left and right to the head as he rushed forward they got tangled up and both landed on the canvas. Once they were both up Casimero was driving a stumbling Ramirez along the ropes connecting with head punches and Ramirez dropped down on the bottom rope and almost fell out of the ring. That meant another count. Ramirez was up at seven and looked unsteady. Casimero rocked him with a couple of punches but the action was stopped as Ramirez had lost his mouthguard and the break to replace it allowed Ramirez the respite he needed. I was tempted to be stupid and say if it wasn’t for the knockdowns Ramirez would be winning this fight but I am not that stupid !! Am I?Score: 10-8 Casimero Casimero 67-63Round 8Clearly Ramirez’s round. After Casimero scored with a couple of hooks early in the round Ramirez took over. He was using his jab to force Casimero back and landing long rights to the head. Casimero was not throwing much and what he was throwing was wildly inaccurate. Ramirez continued to spear him with jabs and the champion looked a tired fighter.Score: 10-9 Ramirez Casimero 76-73Round 9It was all Ramirez at the start of the ninth as he continued his jabbing and caught Casimero with a right to the head and a right uppercut. He continued to drive Casimero back but was over confident and was hurt by a left hook which sent his mouthguard flying out of his mouth. He was in trouble but stole a few seconds as his mouthguard was re-inserted and it was Casimero coming forward and landing punches to the bell.Score: 10-9 Casimero Casimero 86-82Round 10Ramirez had nothing left. Casimero was forcing him around the ring scoring with hooks and uppercuts and there was no sign of Ramirez’s left jab. Casimero continued to punish Ramirez and then a left hook and a booming straight right put Ramirez flat on his back and the referee waived him arms to signal the fight was over.A much tougher night than expected for the 30-year-old former IBF light flyweight and flyweight champion but in the end his power proved too much for Ramirez. The aim now is for a challenge to the real WBO champion Zolani Tete for what would be a great match. Ramirez dominated this fight in spells but just did not have the power to exploit his advantage. He had won 10 of his previous 11 fights with the loss coming against Ryan Burnett for the WBC International title in 2016.Astrolabio vs. AsenieroAstrolabio holds on to the WBO Oriental belt with cuts win over fellow Filipino Aseniero. A punch opened a cut which was too serious for Aseniero to continue so Astrolabio retains the title. After losses in Malaysia and China Astrolabio gets his second win in a row. Aseniero had found a little bit of form being 3-0-1 in his last 4.Suarez vs. PutonFormer amateur star Suarez continues to progress in the pros. Suarez floored and halted poor Puton in 101 seconds. Suarez hurt Puton with body punches and took him to the ropes before digging in a left hook to the ribs that saw Puton dropping to his knees and bending over banging the canvas from the pain. Now 31 Suarez represented the Philippines at the 2007, 2009 and 2011 World Championships, and the 2016 Olympics but it remains to be seen whether he has turned pro too late. He is aiming to qualify for Tokyo 2020 Olympics now that pros can fight there. Puton is now 0-5 with two technical draws in his last 7 fights.

Nagoya, Japan: Fly: Kosei Tanaka (14-0) W TKO 7 Jonathan Gonzalez (22-3-1). Super Fly: Kento Hatanaka (10-0) W PTS Jayserver Abcede (19-9).Tanaka vs. GonzalezBehind on the cards Tanaka comes off the floor to halt Gonzalez in the sixth defence of the WBO titleRound 1Both fighters started cautiously. Tanaka was trying to walk down Gonzalez but the southpaw challenger was moving smartly, getting his punches off first and connected with some sneaky straight lefts.Score: 10-9 GonzalezRound 2Once again Tanaka was tracking Gonzalez in vain. The Puerto Rican was launching darting attacks coming forward connecting with rights and lefts and getting out before Tanaka could counter.Score: 10-9 Gonzalez Gonzalez 20-18Round 3Tanaka upped the pressure in the third. He was getting closer and connected with some strong rights. He was anticipating Gonzalez’s darting attacks and stepping out of range. He drove Gonzalez to the ropes with a right and as Gonzalez came forward he dug in a cruel right to the body. Gonzalez hesitated for a second and then the pain kicked in and he dropped to his knees in agony with his head resting on the canvas. Amazingly Gonzalez was up quickly and the bell went too soon after the eight count for Tanaka to capitalise on that success.Score: 10-8 Tanaka Tied 28-28Round 4Gonzalez was looking to claw back the two points he had lost and was more positive staying close and throwing more punches. Tanaka was just looking to land another damaging right whereas Gonzalez was scoring with quick punches from both hands. Tanaka had forced Gonzalez to the ropes but as he moved in Gonzalez countered with a left hook to the head that sent Tanaka tumbling back and he had to put a glove on the canvas to stop himself going down. Tanaka was more surprised than hurt and the bell went when the eight count was finished.Score: 10-8 Gonzalez Gonzalez 38-36Official Scores: Judge Bill Lerch 37-37, Judge Mike Fitzgerald 38-36 Gonzalez , Judge Edward Ligas 38-36 GonzalezRound 5Gonzalez boxed beautifully in this one. His excellent footwork and quick hands had him threading combinations through the guard of the champion. Tanaka was just throwing single punches and mostly missing as Gonzalez sped around him.Score: 10-9 Gonzalez Gonzalez 48-45Round 6Tanaka hunted Gonzalez throughout the round and not always in vain. Gonzalez was still proving a shifty target and firing quick punches but he lacked the power to dissuade Tanaka who was landing less shots but heavier ones and a right to the body and a left to the head was the best combination he had landed so far.Score: 10-9 Tanaka Gonzalez 57-55Round 7With Gonzalez in a corner Tanaka fired home a series of rights before Gonzalez managed to wriggle his way free. Tanaka tracked him down and landed a left and a right with Gonzalez dropping to one knee. He was up at eight but Tanaka drove him along the ropes before putting Gonzalez on the floor with a left to the body. Again Gonzalez beat the count but didn’t look like a fighter who wanted to continue. Tanaka came forward and banged home three body punches that saw Gonzalez on the floor on his knees with his head against the canvas. Once again he made it to his feet but the referee waived his arms and the fight was over. The 24-year-old champion won the WBO minimum title in his fifth fight so eight of his fourteen fights have been world title fights. Gonzalez was his mandatory challenger but with Moruti Mthalane, Charlie Edwards and Artem Dalakian holding the other versions of the title there does not seem to be much scope for a unification match. The 28-year-old 5’2” Bronx-born Gonzalez had lost inside the distance to Giovani Segura and Jobert Alvarez but had scored three wins last year over reasonable level oppositionHatanaka vs. AbcedeAfter nine inside the distance victories Hatanaka finally has to go the distance for victory against Filipino Abcede. This was a fast-paced fight with Hatanaka looking to box on the outside using quick accurate jabs and Filipino Abcede trying to get close where he could score with hooks and uppercuts. Abcede staged a furious attack in the third but was open to counters and two rights from Hatanaka put him down. Abcede was up quickly and when the action resumed the pair traded punches to the bell. In the fourth a right from Abcede rocked Hatanaka and a straight left stunned him. Abcede then blazed away until Hatanaka went over. After the count Hatanaka took the fight to Abcede. They both landed some thudding punches with Abcede getting the better of the exchanges. Hatanaka looked to have Abcede in trouble with a shower of punches at the end of the fifth and he outboxed the aggressive Filipino in the sixth. A clash of heads in the seventh resulted in a cut over the left eye of Hatanaka encouraging Abcede to press hard and take the round. Hatanaka outboxed Abcede in the eighth but the Filipino made the round close. Both fighters had their moments in a hard fought ninth with the best punch a straight left from Abcede which sent Hatanaka back on his heels. In the last Hatanaka first out boxed and then got the better of some wild toe-to-toe trading to cement his victory. Scores 96-92,96-93 and 95-93 for Hatanaka. The 21-year-old from Nagoya, the son of form WBC super bantam champion Kiyoshi Hatanaka, will enter the ratings on the back of this win. Abcede ,24, played his part in making this an excellent contest and with more experience will only get better.

San Juan, Puerto Rico: Minimumweight: Wilfredo Mendez (14-1) PTS 12 Vic Saludar (19-4). Super Light: Jean Carlos Torres (17-0) W TKO 3 Miguel Zamudio (44-14-1). Light: Nestor Bravo (17-0) W KO 2 Cristian Mino (19-4).Mendez vs. Saludar Mendez dazzles a disappointing Saludar. He outboxes and proves far too fleet-footed for the reigning champion and wins the WBO title.Round 1Both fighters were very cautious in the opener. When they did begin to throw punches Mendez connected with straight lefts and used nifty footwork to skip away from Saludar’s punches.Score: 10-9 Mendez Round 2Another cagey round. Saludar managed to get through with a couple of right crosses and Mendez was slipping home long lefts. Just before the bell Mendez fired home a series of punches to take the roundScore: 10-9 Mendez Mendez 20-18Round 3The fight was going the way Mendez. needed it to go. Saludar was not putting him under pressure and he was flitting around Saludar pinging him with light jabs and choosing his moment to dart inside and land a couple of harder punches. Saludar was not quick enough to cut the ring off and was missing when he tried to counter.Score: 10-9 Mendez Mendez 30-27Round 4A better round for Saludar. He was taking that extra step to get closer to Mendez. He was using his jab more and landed some rights. Mendez was still boxing well but threw less punches.Score: 10-9 Saludar Mendez 39-37 Round 5Saludar was pressing hard in this one and connected early with right crosses. Mendez landed a crisp straight left but Saludar kept coming forward and then he connected with a peach of a left hook that dumped Mendez on his posterior. Mendez bounced up immediately and did not look too shaken. The bell went when the eight count was completed.Score: 10-8 Saludar Tied 47-47Round 6Neither fighter threw enough punches to dominate this round. Mendez was back to moving quickly, darting in with a couple of punches and out before Saludar could counter and took a close round.Score: 10-9 Mendez Mendez 57-56Round 7With Mendez speeding around the perimeter of the ring and constantly changing direction Saludar was tending to just get set to punch and then having to change the direction of his attacks so was throwing too few punches. Mendez landed a nice right hook to the head and was again darting in and scoring then getting out without Saludar catching him.Score: 10-9 Mendez Mendez 67-65Round 8A better and smarter round by Saludar. He was getting close and getting home straight rights. He was also anticipating Mendez’s darting attacks and countering and it was his round/Score: 10-9 Saludar Mendez 76-75Round 9Quick. Clever boxing gave this close round to Mendez. He was more accurate with his punches and Saludar was short and lunging. He lost the impetus he had garnered from the previous round and Mendez landed the better punches as they traded before the bell. That brief exchange of punches was a rare event with this being an interesting tactical fight but not an exciting one.Score: 10-9 Mendez Mendez 86-84Round 10More of the same. Mendez was dancing around the ring then jumping in with a series of quick/light punches with Saludar left swishing air. To put this in a dancing context Mendez was doing a quickstep whilst Saludar was doing a slow waltz and the champion was being outboxed.Score: 10-9 Mendez Mendez 96-93Round 11Mendez danced his way through this one. He was again darting in with quick combinations and that was another contrast as even in his best rounds Saludar had been throwing one punch at a time. Mendez was just too quick and although his punches were light they were landing which Saludar’s were not.Score: 10-9 Mendez Mendez 106-102Round 12Mendez knew he had the fight won so he spent the whole of the round circling the perimeter of the ring rarely moving away from the ropes and not even throwing punches. Saludar needed a knockout but he just seemed to tamely surrender his title and although Mendez gifted him the last round Saludar was an ex-champion.Score: 10-9 Saludar Mendez 115-112Official Scores: 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112 all for Mendez.The 22-year-old new champion from Puerto Rico had his tactics right. He stuck rigidly to the game plan and never really looked troubled. Saludar will feel he could have done so much better but he never pressed hard and did not throw enough punches. He has lost his title in his first defence. Torres vs. Morales“The Wolf” wins another one inside the distance. Torres used a strong jab to take control and connected with some straight rights with late replacement Zamudio given no time to settle before a left hook to the body found him on the floor. He made it to the bell but Torres kept firing left hooks to the body in the second forcing Zamudio to take another count. They fought inside in the third until a hook hurt Zamudio who dropped to one knee and that was enough for the referee who ended the fight. It is now six wins on the spin by KO/TKO for the 29-year-old Torres the WBO No 6. A busy Zamudio, this is his fifth fight this year, rarely seems to do distance fights now as he is 7-5 in his last 12 fights including 6 wins inside the distance and 5 losses that way.Bravo vs. MinoBravo disposes of Argentinian Mino inside two rounds. Bravo was looking for another first round win but just could not find the finishing punch. He had no such problem in the second putting Mino down with a hook to the body with Mino being unable to rise and being counted out. The 25-year-old Puerto Rican has 12 wins by KO/TKO with 8 of those first round endings. After being 19-0 in Argentina Mino is now 0-4 on his travels.

Edinburg, TX, USA: Super Bantam: Brandon Figueroa (20-0) W KO 4 Javier Chacon (29-5-1). Super Light: Darwin Price (15-0) TKO 2 Aaron Herrera (35-11-1). Super Bantam: Stephen Fulton (17-0) W KO 6 Isaac Avelar (16-1). Super Feather: Jaime Arboleda (15-1) W TKO 1 Victor Betancourt (26-3,1ND).Figueroa vs. ChaconFighting in his home town Figueroa retains the interim WBA title against Chacon. This was a poor title fight as Chacon spent most of the time pinned against the ropes in a defensive crouch and hardly threw a punch. Figueroa provided a spectacular finish but barely moved out of second gear.Round 1An easy first round for Figueroa. He spent the first minute just probing with jabs and then stepped inside going to the body. Chacon tried to offer as little in the way of a target as he could by bending at the waist. Figueroa just beat on the Argentinian’s defence trying to find openings. Score:10-9 FigueroaRound 2For the whole of the round Chacon had his back against the ropes again bending double. Figueroa pounded away trying to get through to the body but it was not easy with Chacon already in survival mode and hardly throwing a punch.Score: 10-9 Figueroa Figueroa 20-18Round 3Whilst I was trying to decide whether to call this a disgrace or a farce Chacon tried a bit harder in the third. He stayed of the ropes for much of the time and attempted to walk forward and throw some punches Figueroa continued to focus on the Argentinian’s body and dug in some hurtful hooks. After twelve minutes Figueroa had landed 75 punches Chacon 13!Score: 10-9 Figueroa Figueroa 30-27Round 4Figueroa came forward in his customary crouch and landed a couple of useful left hooks to the body. Figueroa drove Chacon to the ropes and blasted him with a series of punches to head and body until a right hook straightened Chacon up into the path of a left that dumped him on his rump. As the referee started the count Chacon spat out his mouthguard and made no attempt to get up.The 22-yeaer-old “The Heartbreaker” was making the first defence of his title and has 15 inside the distance wins. He has beaten Oscar Escandon, Moises Flores and Yonfrez Perez and deserves better challengers than this. Chacon was 4” shorter and 16 years older so really was a no-hoper. He has a good domestic record and his other three losses have come against Anselmo Moreno and Jaime McDonnell in WBA title fights and Isaac Dogboe so on paper he looked an acceptable level but it did not turn out that way.Price vs. HerreraIn the opener the speed of Price’s jab was impressive and he was quickly snapping his leads through Herrera’s guard and landed a good right to the head. Later in the round he staggered Herrera with a right and as he went to move inside their heads banged together. Herrera backed away pawing at his right eye and already there was some swelling around the eye. The referee halted the action and had the doctor examine the injury but the doctor indicated Herrera could continue and the bell went soon after. In the second Price rattled Herrera twice with rights. Herrera just could not cope with the speed of Price and was rocked twice more with rights and as he was walking forward Price threw a right over Herrera’s lead and onto his chin and Herrera dropped to the floor. He struggled before getting to his feet and was unsteady and despite his protests the referee rightly stopped the fight. The 5’11” Price was impressive here both in hand speed and power. A college graduate with a degree in Kinesiology (body movement-I had to look it up too) he is 30 and 15 fights in six years is just not good enough. With regular outings he could be a real threat. Herrera looked ragged around the edges here and some hard fights are catching up with him. This is his sixth defeat by KO/TKO. Fulton vs. AvelarIn a non-title outing IBO super bantam champion Fulton outclasses a feisty but limited Avelar. Fulton took a quiet first round. He was quicker with his jab and used speedy movement to dodge Avelar’s attacks. Avelar hustled and bustled enough in the second to make it a fairly even round. It was exhibition stuff from Fulton in the third and fourth. Fast hands, jabs, straight rights, hooks, uppercuts and slick movement Fulton showcased them all and a punch in the third opened a cut over the right eye of a frustrated Avelar. Fulton was loading up more on his punches in the fifth and in the sixth a blistering left hook to the body sent Avelar down wincing in pain and he was counted out. The 25-year-old from Philadelphia gets his eighth win by KO/TKO. Mexican Avelar, 21, just could not compete with the slick skills of Fulton. Arboleda vs. BetancourtPanamanian prospect Arboleda blows away Mexican Betancourt in the first round. Betancourt was taller with a longer reach but Arboleda let his hands go immediately throwing a bunch of fast hooks to the body. Betancourt started to use his reach and was then the one doing the scoring until Arboleda again unleashed a series of body punches which sent Betancourt to his knees. He got up but Arboleda unleashed a bunch of hooks and when Betancourt dropped down on one knee the referee waived the fight over. The 24-year-old Arboleda gets win No 13 by KO/TKO. He suffered a kayo loss against Filipino Recky Dulay in 2017 but has returned with five inside the distance wins on the bounce. He is the youngest of three brother who have all boxed as a pro but one died in an accident and the other drifted away from boxing after spending six years in prison. Betancourt had won 10 of his previous eleven fights.

August 25

Quezon City, Philippines: Fly: Maximino Flores (25-4-1,2ND) W TEC DEC 7 Carlo Caesar Penalosa (14-2). Flores wins the vacant IBO title on a technical decision after a cut suffered by Penalosa is ruled too serious for the fight to continue. Flores was taller with a longer reach and that helped him box on the outside. However the relatively inexperienced Penalosa fought an aggressive fight and it was close all the way. The injury to Penalosa came in a clash of heads in the third round and by the end of the seventh it had worsened. It was decided on the scorecards and two judges saw it for Flores by 68-65 and 67-66 and the third had it 67-66 for Penalosa. Mexican Flores was beaten by Andrew Selby in 2017 but has recovered well from that and now he has a title. Southpaw Penalosa had won his last 7 fights 5 of them by KO/TKO. He is the nephew of former two-division world champions Dodie and Gerry.

August 23

Broken Arrow, USA: Super Middle: Vladimir Shishkin (9-0) W TKO 8 DeAndre Ware (13-2-2). Super Light: Shohjahon Ergashev (17-0) W TKO 4 Abdiel Ramirez (24-5-1). Welter: Jaron Ennis (23-0) W RTD 1 Franklin Mamani ( 23-5-1).Super Bantam: Arnold Khegai (16-0-1) W PTS 8 Vladimir Tikhonov (17-2).Shishkin vs. WareShishkin hands out a solid beating to Ware. Shishkin was four inches taller than Ware and looked much the stronger man. Ware tried to use his speed to score but had to avoid the punches from the heavy handed Russian. As early as the second Shishkin was controlling the fight with hefty jabs and left hooks to the body and Ware was having trouble being competitive. Ware stepped up his work rate in the third and had some success inside but clubbing punches from Shishkin soon doused that fire. If there is a downside to Shishkin it is that he is not quick but by the fourth Ware’s attacks were getting less and Shishkin’s power shots were breaking Ware down. Shishkin continued to pound on Ware over the fifth and sixth slowing him with body punches. Ware was on his heels and throwing very few punches. The seventh was another painful round for Ware. Shishkin was very predictable with very little variation in his work. He was just throwing his left jab and following it with a right cross but he kept connecting. The referee checked on Ware in his corner before the start of the eighth anxious to make sure Ware could continue. In the round Shishkin was bombarding Ware with overhand rights and adding in some left hooks. He had Ware pinned against the ropes and was unloading with lefts and rights and the towel came in from Ware’s corner. The 28-year-old Russian is a strong guy and a very hard puncher. He has won his last four fights by KO/TKO including a tenth round stoppage of former world title challenger Nadjib Mohammedi. Toledo fireman Ware had lost on points to unbeaten Cem Kilic but taken a majority verdict over unbeaten Ronald Ellis in February but he was just too small and not powerful enough to stand a chance here. Ergashev vs. RamirezErgashev batters a plucky Ramirez to defeat in four rounds. The 5’10 ½” Uzbek towered over the 5’5 ½”” Ramirez so controlled this one from the start. Ergashev has a solid jab and plenty of power and was teeing off on Ramirez. Ramirez was absorbing some thunderous punches but kept coming forward and managed to get past the jab and land with some hooks and rights to the head. In the second Ergashev was moving lots and firing heavy lefts with Ramirez again willing to walk into and sometimes through the bombardment. Late in the second Ergashev landed a hard left which stopped Ramirez in his tracks and then gave Ramirez a shove which sent the Mexican down. The referee probably missed the shove because he gave Ramirez a count. There looked to be a brief glimpse of hope in the third when with Ramirez still coming forward Ergashev’s punch output slowed but any hope Ramirez had was extinguished in the fourth. Ergashev was using his right as a range finder and then landing crunching lefts until the referee stepped in to save Ramirez. The tall 27-year-old Uzbek has 15 inside the distance win and was coming off a good victory over Mykal Fox in February. Ramirez has lost 4 of his last 5 but the win was against 23-1-1 Mike Perez and it was easy to see how his tenacious attacks have given him 22 inside the distance victories.Ennis vs. MamaniA welcome return to the ring for Ennis one of the best prospects out there. The Philadelphian was looking to end it early and was landing heavily with both hands in the first. Giving away almost 5” in height the little Bolivian Mamani was under fire and had nowhere to hide and nothing to stop Ennis coming forward with hurtful hooks. A straight right put Mamani down and although the beat the count and made it to the bell he then retired with a shoulder injury. Ennis, 22, has been side-lined for nine months over a contract dispute but is back and is going to keep busy. This victory is his 21st win by KO/TKO and his 13th in a row. He has wins over 18-0 Armando Alvarez and Ray Serrano. He beat Abraham Nova and Gary Antuanne Russell in the US Olympic Trials but lost to Russell in the final qualifier. If he continues to progress he could land a world title shot in 2020 which neither brother Farah nor brother/trainer Derrick managed in their careers. At 5’5 ½” the 32-year-old Mamani is just too small to mix with welterweights. He lost to Dejan Zlaticanin for the vacant WBC light title in 2016 and this is only his third loss by KO/TKO.Khegai vs. TikhonovKhegai outscores Tikhonov with eight rounds of ceaseless aggression. Southpaw Tikhonov had slight advantages in height and reach but just could not keep Khegai out or match his work rate. Khegai was relentless bustling forward throwing hooks and uppercuts, Tikhonov was able to connect with jabs and straights rights but the terrier-like Khegai just walked through them hooking to head and body and hounding Tikhonov around the ring. Given some space Tikhonov might have been competitive but Khegai was in his face for the whole fight and controlled the contest from start to finish. Scores 80-72 on all three cards for the Philadelphia-based Ukrainian. In Thai Kickboxing Khegai was a Ukrainian, European and World champion. Wins over Jorge Diaz and Adam Lopez have seen him rated No 7(6) by the IBF. After scoring 16 wins Tikhonov lost on a stoppage against novice Jesse Hernandez in 2017 and was out of the ring until registering a win in Estonia in October

Tokyo, Japan: Fly: Jayr Raquinel (11-1-1) W TKO 8Takuya Kogawa (30-5-1). It was thought that Kogawa’s experience would give him a chance of beating the relatively inexperienced Filipino but despite a promising start it did not turn out that way. Southpaw Raquinel was aggressive in the first matching forward putting Kogawa under pressure. Kogawa was looking to counter and he connected with right to the head that floored Raquinel. The Filipino was not badly hurt but it was a 10-8 round for Kogawa. Raquinel attacked strongly over the next three rounds with Kogawa under fire and struggling to keep Raquinel out but he did land a punch in the fourth which opened a cut over the right eye of Raquinel. After four rounds all three judges had Raquinel in front 38-37. Kogawa put in a big effort in the fifth but could not stem the attacks of Raquinel. In the eighth Raquinel rocked Kogawa with a right and then landed a series lefts which dropped an exhausted Kogawa and the referee stopped the fight. The 22-year-old Filipino, the WBC No 15, was making the third defence of his OPBF title and gets his eighth win by KO/TKO. Nice rebound victory for Raquinel who was outpointed by Chinese fighter Wulan Tuolehazi for the WBC Silver title in September. It might be the end of the road for 34-year-old Kogawa. He is a former OPB champion and had two spells as Japanese champion but failed in challenges for the WBC and interim WBA flyweight titles

Managua, Nicaragua: Super Bantam: Dixon Flores (1-6-3,2ND) W TKO 2 Alex Espinoza (18-2-2). Obviously Flores did not read the script in this all-Nicaraguan contest. This was not the intended outcome as the unfancied fighter overwhelmed the favourite Espinoza inside two rounds. Flores came storming out at the first bell piling into a startled Espinoza . Flores recent form had been patchy at best and he is no puncher so Espinoza probably felt he could wait until the storm blew itself out and then take over. However Flores did not let up but kept walking inside and scoring to the body. Early in the second Espinoza managed to force Flores back and looked to be getting on top until a left hook to the body had him bending in pain and retreating to the ropes. Flores landed some heavy rights to the head and with Espinoza floundering and unsteady the referee halted the fight. Flores gets only his fifth inside the distance victory. He had been knocked out in one round by Khalid Yafai in 2016 and his record over his four most recent fights was 0-1-1, 2ND. Espinoza’s only loss was on a split decision against Mikhail Aloyan. He was No 9 with the WBA and since the questionable loss to Aloyan, had scored three useful wins over domestic opposition. This win for Flores was a major surprise.

Kempton Park, South Africa: Middle: Rowan Campbell (11-0) W TKO 7 Patrick Mukala (11-2-1).Super Welter: Roarke Knapp (9-0-1) W PTS 10 Alex Zhuravskiy (13-6-1). Campbell vs. MukalaCampbell retains the IBO All-African title with stoppage of DRC fighter Mukala. It was a close, competitive fight over the first two rounds but then the superior strength of Campbell began to tell. He was landing with hooks to the body in the third and out jabbing Mukala. The Congolese fighter battled back in the fourth but pressure from Campbell had him on the retreat and he was holding and wrestling more as his work rate dropped. A big right cross the head from Campbell early in the seventh was the beginning of the end for Mukala. Campbell was bullying Mukala around the ring connecting with clubbing head punches. An exhausted Mukala tried to punch back but he was too tired to lift his arms and after a few more thumping rights to the head from Campbell the referee came in to save Mukala. Seventh win by KO/TKO for the South African champion and second defence of the IBO All-African title. It is early days but I feel Campbell will struggle against a better class of opposition. Mukala had performed well in a losing on points against Ryno Liebenberg so Campbell did well to stop him.Knapp vs. ZhuravskiySouth African Knapp moves up to ten rounds for the first time and comes away with a unanimous decision over Zhuravskiy. Scores 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94 as South African No 6 Knapp,21, stays unbeaten. Kazak southpaw Zhuravskiy’s role now is that of imported loser as he is now 0-4-1 in his last five fights, four of them in different countries and all against unbeaten opponents.

Corona, CA, USA: Bantam: Edwin Rodriguez (11-5-1) W PTS 10 Saul Sanchez (12-1). Puerto Rican boxer Rodriguez pulls off good win in a hard fought close contest against local favourite Sanchez. There was never much between these two in an entertaining fight and the result could have gone either way but in the end despite a gash on his right cheek Rodriguez had a better claim to victory. Scores 96-94 twice for Rodriguez and 96-94 for Sanchez. Rodriguez, 26, is now 3-1-1 in his last five contests all against unbeaten fighters. At 22 Sanchez has plenty of time to rebound from this loss.

Everett, MA, USA: Middle: Carlos Gongora (17-0) W KO 1 Alan Zavala (15-5). Super Feather: Abraham Nova (16-0) W KO 1 Luis Castillo (20-4). Welter: Brian Ceballo (10-0) W KO 4 Luis E Florez (24-14,1ND).Gongora vs. ZavalaGongora blasts out Zavala inside a round. The tall Ecuadorian southpaw used some right jabs to have Zavala backing up and then began to score with hooks from both hands. A straight left floored Zavala and although he tried to climb to his feet he was too slow and was counted out. Gongora, 30, did not turn pro until he was 26. He competed at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and three World Championships took a gold medal at the South American Games and twice won bronze at the PanAmerican Games. He also beat Yamaguchi Falcao and Terrell Gausha and fought in the World Series of Boxing. Plenty of credentials and a class boxer but probably insufficient time to make it as a pro. Third loss in a row for Mexican Zavala. Nova vs. CastilloNova floors and halts useful Castillo in the first. Nova was shadowing Castillo in the trying to open up Castillo’s guard. It began to look as though no opening was going to come. However late in the round Nova forced Castillo to the ropes with a strong jab and then landed a couple of rights to the head which staggered Castillo before driving home two more rights which dropped Castillo and he was counted out. Another impressive performance from the 25-year-old Puerto Rican, a former US National champion, and his twelfth victory by KO/TKO. He retains the WBA-NABA title and is No 6 with that body. Mexican Castillo, 20, won his first 15 fights but has stumbled badly as he has been meeting better opponents.Ceballo vs. FlorezA confident assured performance from New York prospect Ceballo as he halts seasoned pro Florez. From a hands-down style Ceballo was spearing Florez with jabs to keep him on the retreat and cracking home left and right hooks to the body. Florez managed to force Ceballo back a few times with quick attacks but Ceballo shook them off and established control again. He was tracking Florez around the ring in the fourth and then landed two left hooks. The first to the head hurt Florez but it was the hook to the body that ended the fight with Florez dropping to the canvas in agony and he was unable to beat the count. The 25-year-old Ceballos is a former National Golden Gloves, US National and National Police Athletic League champion who also competed at the Pan American Games and for the US-KO Team in the World Series of Boxing. Plenty of talent-one to follow. It was 2014 when Colombian Florez scored a first round stoppage over Miguel Berchelt but It must seem like a lifetime ago now as he gets his seventh loss by KO/TKO.

Houston, TX, USA: Super Light: Jerrico Walton (15-0) W PTs 10 Victor Terrazas (38-7-2). Walton gets a “name” on his record as he outpoints Terrazas. It was a one-sided fight with Terrazas tubby and overweight not really ever competitive but staying the distance. Scores 80-72 twice and 79-73. Texan Walton was defending his interim ABF USA title but as Terrazas came in 3lbs over the contract weight he could not have won the title. At 36 former WBC super bantam champion Terrazas just turns up for the money. He had his best days when he was in the 122lbs division but he was 150lbs for this poor effort and is 1-5-1 in his last 7 fights.

Buenos Aires, Argentina: Light; Gustavo Lemos (23-0) W TKO 3 Jonathan Eniz (24-12-1,1ND). Lemos dismantles Eniz to win the vacant IBF International title. Lemos just about took a close first round but then dominated the second with some powerful body punches. Eniz was not backing down so it was an entertaining round as they traded in the trenches. In the third Eniz was coming forward punching and Lemos was being forced back. As he advanced Eniz was leaving himself open and Lemos was raking him with fierce counters. Eniz was ducking under some punches but was taking too many. Lefts and rights from Lemos forced him back and down. He was up at nine but unsteady and punches from Lemos had Eniz going back and almost out through the ropes. The referee stopped the action to let Eniz untangle himself but as Lemos then rained punches on Eniz the referee stopped the fight. “El Electrico” Lemos, 23,the IBF No 6(5), makes it 8 inside the distance wins in his last 9 fights including a second round kayo of Jorge Paez Jr. Despite his modest record Eniz was coming off upset victories this year over former IBF champion Cesar Cuenca and 21-1 Deniz Ilbay so should have been a tough test for Lemos.

Sydney, Australia: Super Light: Youssef Dib (13-0) W TKO 3 Jack Asis (38-23-5). Dib keeps the family flag flying with third round stoppage of Filipino veteran Asis. A big step up in quality of opposition for the 26-year-old local in only his second eight round contest. Now 36 former IBO champion Asis has lost three tough matches on the spin following defeats against Rivan Cesaire and Bowyn Morgan.

August 24

Junin, Argentina: Fabricio Bea (14-0-1) W TKO 3 Robinson Garcia (12-10). Bea finishes Colombian Garcia inside three rounds. After a low key first round Bea went to work in the second. He moved inside and began to connect with hooks and uppercuts and late in the round floored Garcia with left to the head. In the third Bea went to the body and a vicious left hook saw Garcia take a step back and then drop to the canvas in agony and his corner immediately threw in the towel. All of “El Turbo” Bea’s wins have come by KO/TKO and after a draw in 2017 he has scored ten consecutive victories by KO/TKO. He is the South American champion but we won’t find out how good he is until he meets higher quality opposition. Garcia is 2-4 in his last 6 fights.

Richibucto, Canada: Super Feather: Joey Laviolette (12-2) W PTS 10 Dominic Babineau (11-2). Laviolette upsets the local fans as he floors Babineau twice on the way to a unanimous decision. Laviolette has now scored victories in 6 of his last 7 fights losing only to unbeaten Olympic gold medallist Robinson Conceicao. Babineau had won his last five fights by KO/TKO.

Cancun, Mexico: Light: Jose Aguirre (22-0) W PTS 12 Jampier Oses (15-5-1). Aguirre hands out a brutal beating to a plucky but under-powered Oses. The strong, aggressive Aguirre controlled this one from the start. Oses moved plenty but just could not keep Aguirre out and found himself fighting with his back to the ropes for most of the fight. Aguirre was throwing bombs with Oses occasionally firing back hurting Aguirre with a combination in the second and connecting with a crisp uppercut in the fourth but other than that he was catching not pitching and did not have the punch to be competitive. Aguirre was driving forward connecting with brutal head punches from both hands. As Oses tired over the last three rounds Aguirre was bombarding him with booming head punches and the fight could and should have been stopped well before the final bell. Scores 120-108 twice and 119-109 all for Aguirre. The Californian-born Aguirre, 28, has wins over Juan Jose Martinez and Jair Lopez and it is time for him to move up to higher level opposition, Venezuelan Oses has built his record on abysmally poor opposition and was brutally exposed here.

Ongwediva, Namibia: Welter: Mikka Shonena (15-0) W PTS 12 Youil Dong (14-2-1). Super Light: Harry Simon Jr (10-0) W TKO 2 Phillip Musariri (6-2-2). Shonena vs. DongShonena makes a successful defence of the WBO African title with unanimous verdict over China’s Dong. The visitor scored a knockdown early in the fight but Shonena was not badly shaken. He used a strong body attack to get back the lost points but had to fight hard to subdued Dong. Scores 118-110, 116-113 and 115-112 for Shonena. Fourth title defence for 31-year-old Shonena but despite his WBO No 5 rating he is yet to face any significant test. Dong had reversed his only other loss. Only in the crazy sanctioning body world can a Chinese fighter compete for an African title!Simon vs. MusaririSimon Jr given another gift which he accepts and stops an overmatched Musariri in two rounds. Namibian champion Simon, the son of the former WBO champion Harry Snr, has eight wins by KO/TKO but don’t get too excited nine of his victims, including Musariri, had only mustered 11 wins between them and the other victim had lost his last 15 fights! Zimbabwean Musariri was 4-0-2 in his previous six fights.

Managua, Nicaragua,: Super Fly: Cristofer Rosales (29-4) W TKO 7 Eliecer Quezada (23-10-3):Light Fly: Byron Rojas (27-4-3) W PTS 8 Eliezer Gazo (18-10-2,1ND).Rosales vs. QuezadaRosales gets controversial stoppage win over Quezada. It looked as though this might be all over in the opening round. Rosales was attacking ferociously with Quezada under heavy pressure. Suddenly Quezada dropped to the floor holding his ankle. The referee could have counted him out but instead chose to give Quezada some recovery time and he survived further attacks from Rosales with his ankle not giving him any further trouble. The second was three minutes of war as Rosales continued to attack but Quezada was bobbing and weaving and slipping the punches from Rosales and then blazing away with punches of his own and it was Quezada who got the better of the exchanges. They went punch for punch over the third and fourth and at that point all three judges had it 38-38. Quezada looked to have edged the fifth but Rosales took the sixth and was looking stronger. Rosales was on top in the seventh drilling Quezada with straight rights. As they fought inside Quezada half turned away and Rosales landed a series of punches to the back of Quezada’s head. Quezada ducked out of the firing line pointing to the back of his head and stood against the ropes bent over. The referee just walked up to him and waived the fight over which was a very questionable decision. Rosales gets the win and is now hoping to get a return against Charlie Edwards who lifted the WBC title from Rosales with a decision in December. Quezada had lost a split decision against Rosales in 2017 and he was giving Rosales plenty of trouble here before the stoppage.Rojas vs. GazoRojas outpoints fellow-Nicaraguan Gazo . These two styles did not mix well and there was too much holding. Gazo was coming forward aggressively over the first three rounds with Rojas boxing on the back foot. From the fourth Rojas upped his work rate and got onto the front foot putting Gazo under pressure. Rojas generally controlled the action from there. Gazo was competitive but just lacked the skill to threaten Rojas but with his good start he made the fight close. Scores 77-75 twice and 78-74 for Rojas. The former WBA minimumweight champion lost his title to CP Freshmart and then failed in a challenge against the Thai in November last year. He is rated No 3 by both the WBA and WBC so if he stays unbeaten he should slot into a title challenge next year. Gazo had struck some form being 5-0-2 in his previous 7 fights.

Alpine, CA, USA: Middle: Connor Coyle (11-0) W TKO 2 Rafael Ramirez (21-5-2. Welter: Santiago Dominguez (18-0) W KO 2 Fabian Lyimo (23-10-2). Super Bantam: Brandon Valdes (12-0) W Jesus Martinez (26-8). Coyle vs. RamirezNorthern Ireland’s Coyle wipes out oldie Ramirez inside two rounds. Coyle had Ramirez under fire in the first and put him down. Ramirez beat the count and Coyle was pressing for the finish but as Ramirez tried to duck out of a corner Coyle vigorously pushed the Mexican’s head down and was penalised a point. Coyle ended it in the second. Once again Ramirez tried to duck under Coyle’s punches but Coyle straightened him up with a left hook and then sent him tumbling along the ropes and down with a chopping right to the head. Ramirez was finished and his corner tossed the towel into the ring. Coyle was moving up to ten rounds but he did not need the other eight as he gets his fourth win by KO/TKO. First inside the distance loss for 39-year-old Californian Ramirez who was 6-0,1ND before this defeat.Dominguez vs. Lyimo Dominguez hits too hard for Tanzanian Lyimo. He had the Tanzanian under pressure from the outset and ended it late in the second. He hurt Lyimo with a with a left hook to the body that had Lyimo backing away. A right to the head and another left hook to the body saw Lyimo go down on one knee and he stayed there for the full count. Fort Worth-based Mexican Dominguez, 27, has 14 wins by KO/TKO. He injured both hands in this fight and may have suffered fractures so could be facing a lay off. Lyimo suffers his fifth loss by KO/TKO and is 0-3 in fights in the USA.Valdes vs. MartinezNot too often that you get two Colombians fighting each other in an eight rounder in California but that was what happened here. Valdes again showcased his potential as he completely outboxed the more experienced Martinez winning every round. He might even have finished the fight inside the distance if he had done less showboating. Martinez just could not handle the talented youngster and lost two points in the seventh round for head butts. Scores 80-70 for Valdes on the three cards. The 20-year-old from Barranquilla, one of five brothers, has fought his way out of poverty through boxing after both his mother and father were imprisoned at the same time for robbery . Southpaw Martinez, 38, went 23-1 in his first 24 fights before losing in four rounds to Luis Nery in 2017. Tougher fights have brought tougher times and Martinez is now 3-7 in his last 10

August 25Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam: Fly: Olimjon Nazarov (18-5) W Ivan Soriano (20-2-1). Little Nazarov wins the vacant WBO Oriental title with unanimous decision over Filipino Soriano. The 5’1 ½” Uzbek had problems getting past the longer reach of Soriano but he was the stronger man and able to bull his way inside often enough to convince the judges. Soriano work well with his jab and straight rights but did not really have the punch to get Nazarov’s respect . The fight looked closer than the score indicate. All three judges went for Nazarov by 116-112. After three losses on a row in prelim fights in America Nazarov had put together five wins back home against poor level opposition. Soriano had lost only one of his last 18 fights .

Fight of the week (Significance): If as a result of his stoppage of Anthony Yarde gets Sergey Kovalev a fight with Saul Alvarez that will be a significant win for the Russian. Not in the same league financially but as John Riel Casimero’s win over Cesar Ramirez lands him a fight with Zolani Tete that will be one to savour.Fight of the week (Entertainment): Kento Hatanaka vs. Jayserver Abcede saw both fighters on the floor and was a fast-paced contest providing plenty for the fans to enjoy.Fighter of the week: Sergey Kovalev as he overcame a bad patch to stop strong Anthony YardePunch of the week: Shakhram Giyasov’s left hook that put Darleys Perez down and out in the first round with honourable mention to the right to the body from Kosei Tanaka which put Jonathan Gonzalez down in the third a wicked shot even if Gonzalez did get up.Upset of the week: Dixon Flores (15-6-3) was not expected to beat 18-1-2 Alex EspinozaProspect watch: Super Light Darwin price was impressive in stopping Aaron Herrera

Los Angeles, CA, USA: Super Bantam: Emanuel Navarrete (28-1) W KO 3 Francisco De Vaca (20-1). Feather: Jessie Magdaleno (27-1) W TEC DEC 9 Rafael Rivera (27-4-2,1ND). Super Light: Arnold Barboza Jr (22-0) W RTD 4 Ricky Sismundo (35-15-3).Middle; Janibek Alimkhanuly (7-0) W KO 5 Stuart McLellan (27-4-3,1ND). Welter: Chris van Heerden (28-2-1) W PTS 8 Aslanbek Kozaev (33-3-1).Super Light: Javier Molina (20-2) W PTS 8 Manuel Mendez (16-6-3). Welter: Brian Mendoza (18-0) W KO 1 Rosemberg Gomez (20-8-1).Navarrete vs. De VacaNavarrete overpowers De Vac and stops him in three rounds in a WBO title defence.Round 1Over the first minute Navarrete was just prodding lightly with his jab but then began to fire long hooks and straight rights. De Vaca fired a series of hooks but Navarrete blocked them and countered with hooks of his own. Navarrete was already confident enough to be regularly switching guards and was using his longer reach to put De Vaca on the back foot and landed a crisp right uppercut before the bell.Score: 10-9 NavarreteRound 2De Vaca made an aggressive start walking forward throwing hooks but he was either short or they were blocked and he was being caught with right counters. De Vaca continued to walk forward but was nailed by a perfectly timed right uppercut which stopped him in his tracks and was clipped on the chin with another right and dropped to the floor. He was up at three with blood trickling from his nose. At the end of the eight count there were less than twenty seconds remaining in the round. Navarrete was not in a hurry and although he landed a couple of body punches De Vaca had no trouble making it to the bell.Score: 10-8 Navarrete Navarrete 20-17Round 3De Vaca came out throwing punches in the third but Navarrete was ignoring them and firing right crosses and sweeping hooks. De Vaca absorbed some heavy rights and kept firing but had his back to the ropes with Navarrete loading up on every punch. A gutsy De Vaca punched his way off the ropes a few times but every time he did Navarrete drove him back and unloaded with stunning rights and lefts until the referee stopped the fight. The 24-year-old “Cowboy” from Mexico City was making the second defence of the WBO title and moves to 24 wins by KO/TKO. His No 1 contender is experienced Filipino Marlon Tapales but a unification fight with Daniel Roman would be worth seeing. Navarrete has a languid style which makes his power deceptive but it is there for sure. De Vaca, 24, was way out of his depth and despite his 20-0 record was untested against any quality opposition.Magdaleno vs. RiveraMagdaleno continues his march towards a title fight with technical verdict over for WBA super feather belt challenger Rivera. It was Rivera who was in charge over the first round as he hustled and bustled the more skilful Magdaleno taking him out of his stride and connecting with rights. Magdaleno settled in the second and third rounds scoring with left jabs and quick rights and matching Rivera inside. Rivera was on the rampage again in the fourth and a clash of head saw Magdaleno cut on the bridge of his nose. Rivera was on the attack for the rest of the round as Magdaleno just tried to stay out of trouble until his corner could work on the cut. Rivera continued to press in the fifth but was being countered by right jabs and straight lefts and some good defensive work was making Rivera miss wildly but he kept attacking to make the round close. Magdaleno boxed beautifully in the sixth. Confusing Rivera with constant movement, changing angles and slotting punches through gaps in Rivera’s defence. Magdaleno had a big seventh. After outboxing Rivera early he stopped him in his tracks with a left hook. Rivera was hurt and Magdaleno switched to the attack with Rivera in trouble but he managed to cling his way to the bell. Magdaleno boxed on the retreat in the eighth. A frustrated Rivera was lunging wildly and after side-stepping a couple of Rivera's rushes Magdaleno mimicked a bull fighter with his cape and just kept threading his punches through Rivera’s defence. Rivera pinned Magdaleno in a corner in the ninth but was caught by a left counter that knocked him back and he had to put his glove on the canvas to avoid going down. When the action resumed Rivera went after Magdaleno and had some success but was still eating jabs. Just before bell as Rivera attacked his elbow opened a deep cut over the right eye of Magdaleno and after examining the cut the doctor advised the fight be stopped and it went to the cards with Magdaleno in front 89-81 on two cards and 88-82 on the other. Good win for the former WBC super bantamweight champion. He was coming off a useful victory over Rico Ramos and having moved up to featherweight he should be fighting for a version of a title in that division in 2020. Rivera proved a tough opponent but that was as expected. Rivera put together a 25-0-2 run at the start of his career but has since lost to Joseph Diaz, Joet Gonzalez and in a WBA title challenge against Leo Santa Cruz. A rough ride for any fighter.Barboza vs. SismundoWhilst a galaxy of former amateur stars are making the headlines Barboza continues to do his destructive work under the radar. He was too big and too strong for the seasoned Filipino. Sismundo tried to punch with Barboza but was quickly dismantled. After punishing Sismundo over the first two rounds in the third Barboza drove Sismundo back across the ring and then sent him down with a left hook. Sismundo survived but not for long. Barboza pounded on him in the fourth trapping Sismundo in a corner and beating on him for much of the round. After the bell Sismundo went down on his haunches holding on to the ropes and looking out into the crowd. When the referee bent over to talk to Sismundo he said he did not want to continue. Barboza, a 27-year-old from Los Angeles, has beaten both Mike Reed and Mike Alvarado. He is No 4 with the WBO and No 15 with the WBC and could be fighting for the title in 2020. Japan-based Sismundo, 32, has been a good pro but at 5’5” and a former featherweight he was just too small to pose any threat to BarbozaAlimkhanuly vs. McLellanKazak’s Alimkhanuly (are there any fighters left at home in Kazakhstan?) proves too strong for Canadian McLellan. Southpaw Alimkhanuly used his right jab and some hefty lefts to establish control and then put McLellan down with a well-timed left uppercut in the second. McLellan was up quickly and saw out the round. Alimkhanuly continued to boss the fight with McLellan unable to avoid Alimkhanuly’s accurate jabs or match the Kazak’s power. In the fifth after stabbing home a couple of jabs Alimkhanuly connected with an overhand right and a left hook to the jaw that sent McLellan down. The punches spun McLellan around so that he landed face first on the canvas. He was up at eight but Alimkhanuly pinned him to the ropes and landed some thumping hooks to the head and the referee stopped the fight as McLellan’s corner threw the towel into the ring. Alimkhanuly retains the WBC Continental Americas title and is already No 15 with the WBO. He was an outstanding amateur beating Anthony Fowler and Jason Quigley on the way to a gold medal in the 2013 World Championships and beat Fowler again at the 2016 Olympics but was eliminated at the quarter-final stage. He also won gold medals at the Asian Championships and Asian Games and was a very successful member of the Astana Arlans in the World Series of Boxing being designated Global Champion. McLellan lost to Carl Crowley for the Canadian title in February but had scored two wins in Mexico since then.van Heerden vs. Kozaevvan Heerden outpoints Kozaev in an entertaining but bloody match. It was the aggression of Kozaev against the skill and movement of van Heerden with the Russian piling forward and van Heerden looking to fight on the outside but also scoring with some telling body punches. A clash of heads saw van Heerden cut over his left eye in the first round which was a contributing factor in his tactics but he got some measure of success by opening a cut on the bridge of Kozaev’s nose in the third and opening a cut over the Russian’s left eye in the fifth with a punch. Unfortunately Kozaev continued to press and when their heads clashed in the same fifth round van Heerden was cut over his right eye. The doctor cleared van Heerden to continue With blood dripping from those cuts Kozaev was inspired to attack furiously but the body punches that van Heerden had applied in the earlier rounds slowed Kozaev and van Heerden was able to box his way to victory. Scores 79-73 twice and 78-74 for van Heerden. The 32-year-old southpaw has lost only one of his last fifteen fights and that was a stoppage against Errol Spencer in 2015. After scoring two wins in 2016 he was then inactive in 2017 and had only one fight in 2018. This is his second fight this year but he has some work to do to get back in the ratings. Kozaev, 31, lost crucial fights against Ray Robinson and Taras Shelestyuk and although he had scored seven wins going into this fight he said he was now retiring.Molina vs. MendezMolina much too good for Californian Mendez. Molina made a steady start boxing on the back foot with Mendez storming forward looking to cut off the ring and fight inside. Molina was moving cleverly and countering with crisp hooks and uppercuts. Mendez kept rolling but as the fight progressed Molina was standing and trading more and loading up on his punches but with this only his third fight in over three years he was probably happy to get in eight rounds of work. Scores 79-73 twice and 78-74. Molina represented the USA at the 2008 Olympics and turned pro the following year, After winning 17 of his first 18 fights he then lost to Jamal James in January 2016 and was then inactive until June last year. This is his third win over decent level opposition since then. Mendez going the other way with four losses in a row.Mendoza vs. GomezMendoza extends his winning run to 18 with first round kayo of Gomez. Mendoza put Gomez down late in the round and the Nicaraguan was counted out. The 25-year-old from New Mexico has 13 wins by KO/TKO but the opposition has been mediocre at best so no real tests yet. Fourth loss by KO/TKO for Gomez who was having his first fight for eighteen months.

August 14

Sydney, Australia: Super Welter: Tim Tszyu (14-0) W PTS 10 Dwight Ritchie (19-2). Middle: Aidos Yerbossynuly (12-0) W PTS 10 Rocky Jerkic (17-2). Welter: Nursultan Zhangabayev (8-0) W PTS 10 Steve Gago (11-0). Super Middle: Cesar Tapia (11-0) W PTS 10 Renold Quinlan (12-5) W Welter: Jack Brubaker (16-2-2) W TKO Danny Kennedy (8-1-1).Tszyu vs. RitchieTszyu continues to progress as he scores unanimous decision over Ritchie. It was probably the toughest test so far for Tszyu. The first two rounds were close but in the third Ritchie was cut over the left eye and rocked by a big right. Ritchie’s cut was examined by the doctor but he was allowed to continue. Tszyu was able to land with left hooks and straight rights with Ritchie struggling with the cut and Tszyu was always in control. Ritchie fought hard to the bell but was always second best as Tszyu boxed his way to victory, Scores 98-92, 98-93 and 97-93 for Tszyu. The 24-year-old Tszyu lifts Ritchie’s IBF Australasian title and wins the vacant WBO Global belt. This win moves him closer to a fight with Jeff Horn. “Fighting Cowboy” Ritchie, 27, is a former Australian and OPBF champion who had four wins chopped off his record for boxing as a pro whilst below the age limit. He has had a tough time with boxing lifting him out of a bad life path and having to twice fight off cancer.Yerbossynuly vs. JerkicYerbossynuly retains the WBA Asian and WBA International titles with points victory over Australian Jerkic. The former top amateur from Kazakhstan was quicker, stronger, busier and more skilful than Jerkic and dominated the fight. Jerkic had success with some heavy punches late but was never really a threat to the Kazak’s control of the tactics and the contest and Yerbossynuly emerged a comfortable winner. Scores 98-92 twice and 99-91. The 27-year-old Yerbossynuly. The WBA’s No 6 super middle, retains the WBA International and WBC Asian Boxing Council titles. He was a member of the Astana Arlans team in the WSB. Jerkic took 20 months out of the ring after losing a split decision to Anthony Buttigieg for the Commonwealth title in 2017 but had returned with two wins .Zhangabayev vs. GagoZhangabayev makes it a double for Kazakhstan as he wins this three-title match with unanimous verdict over Perth southpaw Gago. Zhangabayev made thins difficult for himself on the way to winning this one against the taller Gago. He needed two attempts to make the weight and then lost three points for low blows and was lucky to avoid disqualification. Zhangabayev is a tigerish aggressive fighter and he was just too good for the inexperienced Gago and won on scores of 95-92 twice and 96-91. The 26-year-old Kazak retains the WBA Inter-Continental title and collects the vacant IBF International and WBO Oriental belts. Gago, who has won fights in Beijing and Macao, showed some nice skills but just could not stem the attacks of Zhangabayev.Tapia vs. Quinlan Minor upset as unbeaten young Australian-based Mexican Tapiaoutpoints once world rated Quinlan. Tapia used a higher work rate to win this one. Quinlan never really got into the fight until staging a storming finish in the last but that was too little too late. Tapia flirted with disqualification for hitting Quinlan on the break twice but that was as close as Quinlan came to a chance of victory. Scores 99-92, 98-92 and 97-93 for Tapia. The 21-year-old from Tijuana who emigrated to Australia and turned pro there was moving up to ten rounds for the first time and wins the vacant Australian title. Quinlan, 30, broke into the world ratings with a second round kayo of Daniel Geale back in 2016 but then lost important fights inside the distance against Chris Eubank Jr, Damien Hooper and John Buatsi.Brubaker vs. KennedyBrubaker beats a game Kennedy when the fight is stopped due to a cut. It was an entertaining fight with Kennedy using his speed to match the more experienced Brubaker early but Brubaker’s superior power winning out in the end, From the sixth Kennedy was being forced to trade punches more. A punch opened a cut over his right eye and in the eighth round the doctor decided the cut was too bad for Kennedy to continue. The 27-year-old Brubaker , a former OPBF champion who holds a win over Tyrone Nurse, has lost only one of his last 13 fights and that was on a stoppage in 2017 in a Commonwealth title fight against Kris George. Kennedy, 36, was born on the Channel Island of Jersey and has had five fights in Australia and five in England.

August 16

Kansas City, KS, USA: Middle: Shane Mosley Jr (15-3) W PTS 10 Calvin Metcalf (9-3-1). Heavy; James Morrison (16-0-2) W KO 2 Sam Shewmaker (5-1).Mosley vs. MetcalfMosley gets the win but is forced to fight hard by local hope Metcalf. This one was close with Mosley just having the edge but he does not have the soundest defence and the aggressive Metcalf was able to land his share of punches in an entertaining scrap. Mosley has won 5 of his last 6 fights with the loss coming against Brandon Adams. This was a big step up in opposition for Metcalf who had been fighting in prelims before this bout.Morrison vs. ShewmakerA farce this one as Morrison crushes former Bare-Knuckle contestant Shewmaker. Morrison floored Shewmaker in the first and twice in the second for the win. Morrison, the son of Tommy, has 14 wins by KO/TKO including 6 in his last 7 fights but this was rubbish. Shewmaker was pathetic and hardly threw a punch.

August 17

Ludwigshafen, Germany: Super Middle: Vincent Feigenbutz (31-2) W TKO 8 Cesar Nunez (16-1-1). Super Welter: Ahmad Ali (15-0-1) W PTS 12 Armen Torosyan (19-7-1).Feigenbutz vs. NunezFeigenbutz brushes aside Spaniard Nunez to win the vacant IBO International title and retain the GBU world title. Feigenbutz is improving little by little and he showed a more skilful approach at times. Nunez was willing to stand and trade but lacked the power to really trouble Feigenbutz and after a steady start Feigenbutz pushed the pace more from the third. He was connecting with straight rights but it was the hooks to the body that were breaking Nunez down. The Spaniard lost a point in the fifth for too many low punches. He traded punches with Feigenbutz bravely in the sixth and seventh but the strength and power of Feigenbutz were just too much for Nunez and he was hurt by a body punch at the end of the seventh. In the eighth a right to the body from Feigenbutz put Nunez down. He made it to his feet only to be floored again. After the eighth count Feigenbutz took Nunez to the ropes and pounded him as he slid along the ropes to a corner. Feigenbutz was bombing Nunez with lefts and rights and the referee stopped the fight. The former interim WBA champion has won ten in a row nine by KO/TKO. In some ways he has achieved too much too early as he is still developing and is only 23. There are good domestic fights for him against European champion Stefan Haertel and Tyron Zeuge if they can be made. Former Spanish middleweight champion Nunez just did not have the power to compete here.Ali vs. TorosyanAli retains the Global Boxing Union title as he takes unanimous verdict over Torosyan in a poor fight. The German was giving away a lot of height to the 5’11 ½” Armenian but to offset that he was much quicker with both hands and feet. He used his hand speed to get his punches off first and his movement to dodge the attacks of Torosyan. The Armenian tried to turn the fight into a brawl and there was too much clinching for the fight to be entertaining with Ali blaming a cold for a disappointing performance but he was always a step ahead of Torosyan. Scores 117-109 twice and 115-113 all for Ali. He was making the first defence of the GBU title. He lost a bit out of his boxing career due to suffering a broken ankle playing football and he may struggle against better opposition. Torosyan, 35, has now dropped to 4 losses in his last 5 fights.

Mazatlan, Mexico: Bantam: Ruben Vega (15-0-1) W PTS 8 Gonzalo Garcia (17-21-2). Super Light: Miguel Parra (18-1-1) W PTS 8 Emmanuel Herrera (6-8).Vega vs. GarciaVega continues unbeaten with confident display against more experienced Garcia. Vega had a much longer reach and a much bigger bag of skills and outboxed Garcia. Vega used stiff, accurate jabs and strong counters to control the action. Garcia kept trundling forward but time and again counters from Vega stopped him in his tracks. Vega’s quicker hands saw him firing bunches of combinations and getting plenty of variety in his work. Garcia kept coming and showed a strong chin and with Vega not being a big puncher he never looked in trouble but Vega was a clear winner. The 19-year-old Vega probably needs a couple more wins before he is ready to move up. With 7 losses in his last 8 fights obviously Garcia is not going anywhere but he usually goes the distanceParra vs. HerreraNow nine wins in a row for Parra but generally the level of his opposituion has been very low. Here Herrera showed that the thing he does best is soak up punishment. Parra’s height and reach allowed him to control the action on the outside. Herrera’s crude attacks left plenty of gaps and Parra was connecting with hooks and straight rights and bouncing Herrera around the ring but Herrera took the blows and never looked in serious trouble. Parra not really tested yet. Herrera occasionally puts in a good performance having beaten 16-1 Diego Eligio and in November 15-0 Bryan Figueroa.

Fresnillo, Mexico: Jhonny Gonzalez (68-11) W PTS 12 Ramiro Blanco (18-6-3). Gonzalez has his hands full with Nicaraguan Blanco but wins wide verdict. Blanco was aggressive in the first trying to get past or under Gonzalez’s jab and work the body. Gonzalez stuck to the jab until late in the round when he began to land left hooks to the body. The second and third followed a similar pattern. Blanco was busier with Gonzalez still staying with the jab and was more accurate. Over the fourth and fifth the strong jabbing from Gonzalez was proving more and more of a barrier for Blanco and he was also being caught with left hooks and straight rights. Blanco switched to southpaw in the seventh and jolted Gonzalez with a right but Gonzalez was stepping up his work rate and going to the body more. The pace slowed in the eighth with the more accurate shots from Gonzalez giving him the edge but Blanco kept firing back and making life uncomfortable for the former champion. Blanco slowed in the ninth and tenth as Gonzalez began to connect with some hefty rights to the head and then using almost exclusively his jab Gonzalez outscored Blanco fighting off a strong finish from the Nicaraguan to emerge the winner. Scores 119-109 twice and 118-110 all for Gonzalez who retains the WBC Fecarbox Silver title. The 37-year-old former WBO bantam and WBC feather champion has been in 16 world title fights and is close to 80 fights in his career and although he is rated No 11 by the WBC he is by no means the force he was. The scores do not reflect how hard a time the 23-year-old Nicaraguan gave him. Blanco has now lost 4 of his last 5 fights but the other three losses have come against 28-2 Patrick Kinigamazi in Switzerland and against Andres Gutierrez and Miguel Roman.

Singapore: Super Welter: Stevie Ferdinandus (20-17-1) W TKO 5 Theerawat (21-11). Feather: Muhamad Ridhwan (13-2) W TKO 3 Tommy Seran (30-18).Ferdinandus vs. TheerawatIndonesian oldie Ferdinandus gets his third inside the distance win in a row as he punches too hard for Thai Theerawat. Ferdinandus was much the bigger man and he was able to use his strength to keep Theerawat pinned to the ropes for much of the fight. Southpaw right hooks caused three knockdowns before the fight was stopped in the fifth round. The 38-year-old Ferdinandus collects the vacant WBC Asian Boxing Council title with his seventeenth win by KO/TKO. Eighth inside the distance defeat for Theerawat. Ridhwan vs. SeranRidhwan was the boxer on who sparked the revival of the sport in Singapore but he is on a rebuilding exercise now after a couple of losses. He had no trouble in coping with Seran who is way down the slippery slope to register his ninth win by KO/TKO. The 31-year-old Ridhwan managed to win the UBO world title but lost a split decision against Paulus Ambunda for the vacant IBO title in September last year and then slipped up badly by losing a split verdict to Filipino Landy Cris Leon in March with Landy having a 11-18-5 record at the time. This is his second win over Indonesian opposition since then. Somehow Seran has gone from 23-2 run at the start of his career to 7-16 now.

Bang Phun, Thailand: Light: Apache Petchmanee (5-0) W PTS 10 Chonlatarn (61-5). Youth will be served-but only just as Petchmanee gets very close unanimous decision over Chonlatarn in their second meeting. In the early rounds it looked too easy for Petchmanee as he used his height and reach to work Chonlatarn over with jabs right crosses and some sharp uppercuts. Chonlatarn used his vast experience to find a way into the fight. He padded forward blocking or ducking many of Petchmanee’s punches and then connecting with hooks rattling Petchmanee with rights. Petchmanee tried to box but more and more he was being dragged into a brawl. He was still the more accurate and landing some snappy hooks and uppercuts as Chonlatarn came forward but his work became ragged under pressure from Chonlatarn. Petchmanee found the energy to move and box throughout the last and that probably was the round that won him the fight. Scores 96-94 for Petchmanee on all three cards. The 29-year-old Petchmanee wins the WBC Asian Boxing Council title. He was an elite level amateur and competed for the Bangkok Elephants in the World Series of Boxing. He had scored a close decision over Chonlatarn in an eight round fight in June so that is two tough tests in a row for him. Chonlatarn, 34, at 5’5 ½” is too small for a lightweight. At one time he was 43-0 but in world title shots he lost to Chris John, Vasyl Lomachenko and Miguel Berchelt with Berchelt the only fighter to beat him inside the distance so a big ask for Petchmanee at this stage of his career.

Glasgow, Scotland: Ukashir Farooq (13-0) W KO 1Duane Winters (11-2). Farooq gets this British title defence over early. The champion was spearing Winters with jabs and then landing quick left hooks to the body. Winters was on the retreat and Farooq was finding gaps and pinging the challenger with punches. Farooq moved Winters to the ropes and then dug in a wicked left hook to the body and Winters went down on his knees and was counted out. The 23-year-old Pakistani-born Glaswegian gets his sixth win by KO/TKO. This is his third title defence so he is now the proud owner of the beautiful Lonsdale belt. He is ready for much better opposition and will be a real threat in this division with fellow-Scot Commonwealth champion Lee McGregor an obvious target. Southern Area champion Winters was in way over his head.

Springfield.MA, USA: Light Heavy: Charles Foster (19-0) W PTS 10 Denis Grachev (19-8-1). Heavy: Devin Vargas (21-5) W TKO 5 Nail Kennedy (13-1-1).Foster vs. GrachevConnecticut southpaw Foster comes through a good test with unanimous decision over seasoned pro Grachev. The tall southpaw outboxed Grachev and was too young and too quick for the Russian, A cut from a clash of heads in the second round made Foster a little more cautious but he stuck to his boxing. Despite his pressure tactics giving Grachev some success Foster was always in control. Score 100-90, 97-91 and 97-93 for Foster. He retains the WBA NABA title and is No 8 with that organisation. Over 2018 and now 2019 he has scored five wins over good if not high level opposition. Grachev, 37, looked on his way to a world title chance after wins over 17-0 Ismayl Sillah and 33-0 Zsolt Erdei-being the only fighter to beat the former WBO and WBC champion-but then lost four in a row against top level opposition and has faded badly.Vargas vs. Kennedy Vargas gets shock win as he comes from behind to halt Kennedy. This was a tough scrap between two big men. The pace was slow with both landing heavy punches. Kennedy was outworking Vargas who spent much of the time pinned to the ropes whilst Kennedy banged away trying to find a way past the guard of Vargas. Kennedy had a big third landing some powerful rights but he was leaving himself open and Vargas was landing counters in the fourth. Vargas turned the fight around in the fifth. He landed heavily driving Kennedy to the ropes and then unleashed a series of neck-jerking head punches until the referee jumped in a stopped the fight. A big win for Vargas but at 37 it is a bit late for him to be fulfilling the promise he showed as an amateur. He dominated the heavyweight division in the US amateur ranks in the early 2000’s before Captaining the US Team at the 2004 Olympics and turned pro the same year. He won his first 17 fights before losing to then unbeaten Kevin Johnson and only boxed spasmodically being inactive in 2015 and 2016. His only loss since returning in 2017 was a first round kayo by Andy Ruiz in March last year. Kennedy was already 30 before he turned pro and this is a huge setback for him.

Ormoc City, Philippines: Feather: Albert Pagara (32-1) W TKO 1 Ratchanon Sawangsoda (12-4). Feather: Jeo Santisima (18-2) W KO 1 Alvius Maufani (6-4-2). Fly: Melvin Jerusalem (15-2) W RTD 7 Reymark Taday (9-10-1). Super Fly: Jonas Sultan (16-5) W TKO 7 Salatiel Amit (11-7-2).Pagara vs. SawangsodaPagara destroys over matched Thai Sawangsoda flooring the Thai four times before the fight is stopped, The 25-year-old Filipino was on his way to a world title shot until suffering a shock kayo loss against Cesar Juarez in 2016. He has battled his way back to No 3 with the WBO and with fellow-Filipinos Marlon Tapales and Juan Miguel Elorde Nos 1 and 2 with the WBO it is a domestic line up waiting for Emanuel Navarrete-best of luck guys! Poor Sawangsoda gets his third inside the distance loss in a row,Santisima vs. MaufaniAnother very poor match was over even quicker than Pagara’s win as WBO No 7 Santisima knocked out Indonesian novice in 109 seconds. After going 2-2 in his first 4 fights the 23-year-old Santisima now has 16 wins in a row. Maufani is 0-3-1 in his last 4 fights. Jerusalem vs. TadayFormer WBC title challenger Jerusalem halts Taday in yet another one-sided fight. Jerusalem came as close as anyone has to snapping the unbeaten streak of Wanheng. When Jerusalem lost to Wanheng in a challenge for the WBC minimum title two judges had Wanheng winning by just one point and the third judge had Wanheng up 115-113 and that fight was in Thailand! Unfortunately before he could land a return Jerusalem was beaten by fellow-Filipino Joey Canoy so this is his fourth win on a campaign to get back into a position to face Wanheng again. Taday falls to 1-8-1 in his last 10 outings.Sultan vs. AmitSultan, another former title challenger, halts Amit in seven. Sultan scored a win over John Riel Casimero which landed him a shot at IBF super fly champion Jerwin Ancajas but he lost a wide unanimous decision. As with Jerusalem he also then suffered a surprise defeat being outpointed by South African Athenkosi Dumezweni in April this year. Amit slips to 1-5 in his last 6 fights.

Buenos Aires, Argentina: Fly: Junior Zarate (11-2) W PT 10 Juan Jurado (15-2-3). Zarate gets revenge over Jurado and wins the national title with wide decision. Zarate was too slick and quick for the aggressive but smaller Jurado. Zarate was boxing on the back foot spearing Jurado with jabs and countering him with hooks from both hands. It was Zarate’s fight all the way. Jurado probably took the fourth when a clash of heads opened a cut on the left cheek of Zarate but other than that he was never really able to pin Zarate down and chased in vain. Jurado tried to rough Zarate up on the inside but again it was not enough as Zarate confidently boxed his way to victory. Scores 99-91 twice and 98-92 for Zarate. The 29-year-old “Demon” was the top little man in Argentinian amateur ranks for many years. He was National champion and competed at the World Championships and Pan American Games as well as being a mainstay of the Argentina Condors in the World Series of Boxing. He did not turn pro until he was 29 but with the victory over Jurado has now revenged both of his professional losses. Before losing in a very disappointing performance in a non-title fight against Luciano Baldor in June last year Jurado, 32, was 15-0-3, including a successful title defence against Zarate so has now suffered two losses in a row.

Shenzhen, China: Minimum: Jing Xiang (17-4-2) W TEC DEC 9 Jomar Caindog (10-2-1). Super Feather: Xiao Tao Su (11-1) W TKO 1 Shota Yukawa (11-6-3). Xiang Li (5-0) W TKO 7 Do Jin Lee (6-3-3).Xiang vs. CaindogXiang gets technical decision over Filipino Caindog. Xiang was the better boxer but Caindog exerted enough pressure to make the fight very close. Xizang could have been more dominant if he had not decided to do so much showboating. Caindog stuck to his task and the fight was in the balance when a clash of heads saw Xiang badly cut over his right eye. The fight was halted and was decided on the cards with Xiang getting the decision on scores of 77-75 twice and 79-73.Xiang, 29, wins the vacant WBO International title. It is now nine wins in a row for Xiang including victories over former WBO minimumweight champion Merlito Sabillo and an aging former WBC light fly champion Kompayak. Caindog, the Philippines No 6, had gone 5-0-1 in his previous six fights. Su vs. YukawaSu wins the vacant WBO Oriental titles with blast out of mediocre Japanese opponent Yukawa. Su rocked Yukawa early sending the Japanese fighter tumbling into the ropes with the ropes holding Yukawa up-but not for long. A thunderous left hook to the chin from Su put Yukawa flat on his back on the canvas and the referee just waived the fight over. At 5’5” Su is small for a super feather but he showed power in claiming his sixth inside the distance victory. Yukawa really just a prelim level opponent.Li vs. LeeLi halts Korean Lee in seven. Li looked to be on his way to a routine points win until the seventh round. He staggered Lee with a straight right and connected with two more rights that sent Lee down heavily and after counting to three the referee saw Lee was not going to get up and the waived the rest of the count. Li wins the vacant WBC Asian Boxing Council title and the WBO China belt. Poor Lee is 1-3-2 in his six most recent fights.

Albuquerque, NM, USA: Super Light: Fidel Maldonado (27-4-1,1ND) W KO 1 Juan Santiago (16-17-2). Maldonado finds his punch again. After two points wins in a row Maldonado blasted out Santiago inside a round. Fighting in his home city Maldonado ended this one with just two seconds left in the opening round. The 28-year-old southpaw gets his third win of the year after being out of the ring for fifteen months following a kayo loss to former WBA secondary title holder Ishmael Barroso. Ninth defeat by KO/TKO for Santiago and his first fight for two years.

Fight of the week (Significance): Emanuel Navarrete’s win over Francisco De Vaca was the only world title fight so has to be the choiceFight of the week (Entertainment) Jack Brubaker vs. Danny Kennedy and Chris van Heerden vs. Aslanbek Kozaev pleased the crowdsFighter of the week: Emanuel Navarrete with honourable mention to Jessie MagdalenoPunch of the week: Xiao Tao Su’s left hook the flattened Shota Yukawa was special but so was the left hook to the body from Ukashir Farooq that ended his fight with Duane WintersUpset of the week: No biggies although Devin Vargas stopping Nail Kennedy was unexpectedProspect watch: Super Light Arnold Barboza Jr 21-0 is breaking through in a big way.

Highlights:-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr returns with a quick win-Vergil Ortiz continues his winning ways as he dismantles Antonio Orozco in six rounds-Jason Sosa continues to rebuild as he stops Haskell Rhodes-Joshua Franco and Oscar Negrete fight to a draw in the third bout of their series-Argentinian puncher Marcelino Lopez puts away Daniel Echevarria in five rounds-Middleweight banger Edgar Berlanga makes it twelve first round wins in a row

August 8

Tokyo, Japan: Super Bantam: Hiroaki Teshigawara (20-2-2) W TKO 12 Shohei Omori (20-3). Teshigawara retains the OPBF title with late stoppage of Omori. The challenger was competitive in the first round but Teshigawara was quicker and was scoring well with hooks from both hands and after four rounds was 40-36 up on two cards and 39-37 on the other. Omori was cut over the right eye in the fifth and Teshigawara continued to outscore him in the sixth. Omori connected well with jabs and body punches in the seventh but Teshigawara had a good eighth to stay in front 79-73 on two cards and 78-74 on the third. Omori stormed back scoring well with uppercuts and body punches over the ninth and tenth but Teshigawara was stronger at the finish and by the last was able to drive Omari to the ropes and beat on him until the referee stopped the fight. This victory in his second title defence gives “Golden Yasha” Teshigawara eight wins in a row, seven by KO/TKO. He is No 8(7) with the IBF. Former WBO bantam challenger Omori was No 15 with the WBC but this loss will knock him back as he suffers his third inside the distance loss.

August 9Melbourne, Australia: Light Heavy: Blake Caparello (30-3-1) W TKO 8 Reece Papuni (13-3). Local southpaw Caparello makes it four wins on the trot as he stops New Zealander Papuni in eight rounds in a defence of the WBA Oceania belt. The former 32-year-old WBO light heavy title challenger is rated WBC 8/WBO 10/WBA 11 and his title hopes has to rely on getting selected as an opponent in a voluntary defence by one of the champions. Papuni was having his first fight in almost three years and suffers his third defeat by KO/TKO.

Accra, Ghana: Middle: Obodai Sai (35-3-1) DRE W 12 Mardochee Kuvesa Katembo (13-2). Feather: Felix Williams (28-1) W RTD 1 Waidi Usman (15-4). Super Bantam: Theo Tetteh (12-1) W PTS 12 Ray Commey (19-9) Super Light: Kpakpo Allotey (15-1) W KO 2 Deo Samwel (12-9-7,1ND).Sai vs. KatemboThis one was declared a draw but ignore that. Katembo won this fight and won it easily. I have watched it twice and struggled to give Sai any round if I was feeling really generous I might have given him two at the most but even that was stretching things. Katembo ouboxed Sai from bell to bell. He was giving away lots of height and reach to the local fighter but since Sai was not using his jab that was never a handicap. Sai persisted in trundling forward behind a high guard and not throwing any punches on the way in. Katembo was constantly moving around the static Sai scoring both left and right jabs as he regularly switched stances. Apart from threading a pile of jabs though the guard of the advancing Sai he was also peppering Sai with other straight punches from both hands. For round after round Sai just walked into Katembo’s punches. They were not hard and Sai blocked many of them but Katembo landed more than Sai by quite a big margin in every round as Sai never managed to catch up with the fleet Katembo. In the last Katembo was dancing and still outboxing Sai and at the bell there was glee in Katembo’s corner and gloom in Sai’s-until the scores were read out. Sai did not celebrate like a winner and he was very fortunate to get a draw he did not deserve and retain his WBO African title. DRC fighter Katembo had won 5 of his last 6 fights. He is no world beater but Sai made him look like one. Williams vs. UsmanThis one was a farce as Williams had huge edges in height and reach and floored late substitute Usman three times with Usman retiring at the end of the opening round. The tall Ghanaian southpaw was landing with left hooks to the body with poor Usman going backwards at a fast lick hiding behind a high guard and hardly throwing a punch. Body blows saw Usman drop to the floor twice but he seemed to be looking for an excuse to go down. On the third knockdown even as the referee was kneeling in front of him giving Usman the count the Nigerian still held his gloves high in front of his face-did he think the referee was going to hit him?. After the third count Usman’s corner threw in the towel but the referee threw it out and then the bell went and Usman retired in his corner. Williams makes it 21 wins by KO/TKO and wins the vacant IBO International title. Usman was pathetic on this night but he was a late substitute and is a former ABU champion and has a decent record.Tetteh vs. CommeyTetteh retains the National title with wide unanimous verdict over more experienced Commey. No real problems for Tetteh apart from the second round. He had a much longer reach than the smaller Commey and outboxed him. Commey kept trying to take the fight to Tetteh but just never found a way of getting past Tetteh’s jab often enough to be in the fight. In the second Commey launches a fierce attack and had Tetteh pinned to the ropes for much of the round. He was bombarding Tetteh with punches and with little coming back from Tetteh the referee looked close to stepping in. Then Commey paid for his all-out attack as he left himself wide open and a right from Tetteh put him down. He made it to his feet and survived the round but his chance to win was gone. Scores 120-107, 120-108 and 119-109 for Tetteh. He has eleven wins in a row but against very modest opposition. Commey, 32, has won only one of his last six fights Allotey vs. SamwellAllotey knocks out Tanzanian Samwell in the second round. Little Samwell was coming forward aggressively in the first throwing lots of punches but Allotey stayed cool and looked dangerous with counters. In the second Samwell trapped Allotey in a corner but when he piled forward Allotey turned out of the corner and landed a series of head punches ending with right to the head that sent Samwell down on his side. He managed to climb up but had not quite made it all the way as the referee reached ten. Twelfth win by KO/TKO for former Ghanaian champion Allotey. His loss was a stoppage against unbeaten Robert Quaye in October which cost him his National title. First inside the distance loss for Samwell.

Hinckley. MN, USA: DeLorien Caraway (13-2) W PTS 10 Rondale Hubbert (13-9-2). Cruiser: Al Sands (20-4-1) DREW 8 DeShon Webster (12-2-1). Heavy: Mladen Miljas (12-0) W TKO 1 Aaron Chavers (8-9-1). Feather: Ramiro Hernandez W KO 1 Antwan Robertson (10-18-1).Caraway vs. Hubbert Caraway wins the Minnesota State title with unanimous decision over Hubbert. Their respective styles did not make for a good fight with too much feinting and too little fighting as they each tried to fool the other into making a mistake. Although smaller Caraway was much quicker and set a higher work rate and Hubbert never really got into the fight so there were very few highlights. Scores 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93 for Caraway. He has won 6 of his last 7 fights. Fourth bout this year for Hubbert who is 1-2-1 in those matches.Sands vs. WebsterSands and Webster draw in a very low key affair. With his experience and physical edges Sands should have been able to box his way to victory but at times he was being out jabbed by the smaller man. There were plenty of exchanges but of the slow and ponderous kind with neither fight really taking control and neither able to rock the other and the draw was a fair result. Scores 76-76 twice and 77-75 for Sands. Haitian-born Sands was having his first outing for ten months after losing consecutive fights to Yury Kashinsky in Russia and Krzys Wlodarczyk. Webster has mostly spent his time in boxing backwoods such as Iowa, South Dakota and Kansas. He was3-2 in his previous 5 fights with the losses to unbeaten Ali Akhmedov and Steven Nelson. Miljas vs. ChaversA waste of time is the only way to describe this one. Miljas landed a couple of body punches and Chavers sped back across the ring to the ropes and quickly fell down as Miljas landed a couple more punches. He made it to his feet reluctantly and just tried to cover up. Miljas connected with a clubbing punch and Chaves slid along the ropes from one corner to another and was bent double by two more body punches and the referee stopped the slaughter. The 6’6” former undefeated Canadian champion Miljas has twelve wins by KO/TKO. A former law student he never defended the Canadian title which is unfortunate as with Simon Kean, Adam Braidwood and former victim Dillon Carman around there might have been some good fights for him but instead he is fighting some very poor opposition. Now six losses on the trot and five of those by KO/TKO for Chavers.Hernandez vs. RobertsonHernandez brushes aside poor little Robertson inside a round. After connecting with some left jabs Hernandez scored with a couple of rights to the body. He then forced Robertson to the ropes and landed two rights to the ribs and Robertson went down on one knee in some pain and indicated he was not getting up. Cleveland-based Hernandez goes to ten wins by KO/TKO but this was a mismatch. Robertson now has nine losses by KO/TKO.

Lincoln, RI, USA: Super Light: Jamaine Ortiz (12-0) W PTS 8 Romain Couture (8-1-1). Heavy: Steve Vukosa (12-1) W PTS 8 Joe Cusumano (18-3).Ortiz vs. CoutureOrtiz outclasses French visitor Couture. The local prospect had too much speed and skill for a determined but limited Couture. A sparkling performance from the WBC Youth champion as he outboxed and outworked Couture in every round. Scores 80-72 for Ortiz on all three cards. The 23-year-old from Worcester was an elite level amateur. Winning a bronze medal at the US Championships earned him a place at the US Olympic Trials for Rio where he finally lost out to Gary Antuanne Russell. Couture was 8-0-1 in his last 9 fights and this was his first bout outside of France.Vukosa vs. CusumanoVukosa gets majority decision over Cusumano. It was a close fight all the way. Cusumano made the better opening moves and looked to have taken the first two rounds but that lead was wiped out when a right from Vukosa floored Cusumano in the third. Cusumano fought his way back in to the contest over the middle rounds but was in trouble in the seventh and Vukosa looked to have taken the last. Scores 76-75 twice for Vukosa and 77-74 for Cusumano so it was the knockdown that gave Vukosa the verdict and the vacant WBC USNBC belt. Now 42 Vukosa “The Gentle Giant” won the National Golden Gloves super heavyweight title way back in 2000 and turned pro in 2001. He won eight fights before being inactive from 2002 until 2014. After losing to Donovan Dennis in 2015 he did not fight again until July this year. Cusumano, 31, had won 17 of his last 18 fights and came close here.

August 9

Rogoznica, Croatia: Heavy: Mark De Mori (37-2-2) W KO 1 Laszlo Penzes (10-6).Light Heavy: Hrvoje Sep (8-0) W TKO 1 Sinisa Kondic (10-13).De Mori vs. PenzesAustralian-born Croat De Mori wipes out Hungarian oldie Penzes inside a round. As Penzes tried to take the fight to De Mori he was met with a combination of head punches and went down on his back and was counted out. The 37-year-old “Dominator” gets his seventh inside the distance win in a row since being wiped out inside a round by David Haye in 2016. His recent opposition would be flattered to be described as poor. Penzes, 40, has six losses by KO/TKO. He was issued a licence by the Croatian Federation in June although there is still an indefinite suspension by the Ontario Commission showing against him.Sep vs. KondicSep gets his sixth win by KO/TKO as he stops poor Kondic in the opening round. The 33-year-old was a top level amateur but has left it far too late to turn pro. He competed at the 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015 World Championships and the 2016 Olympics. Additionally he was a European bronze medal winner and had plenty of success fighting for the Paris United and Astana Arlans teams in the WSB. Kondic has suffered twelve losses by KO/TKO including four in his last four fights.

Olavinlinna, Finland; Light: Edis Tatli (31-3) W Berman Sanchez (29-8-3). Tatli eases his way back with points win over Sanchez. After a couple of slow rounds Tatli picked up the pace in the third but there was still not a lot of activity. Tatli was getting some work but Sanchez was mainly looking to survive and both fighters were tending to throw single shots. Tatli rocked Sanchez in the fifth and had a good seventh. He had done enough to win the earlier rounds but it was a flat performance from Tatli and a passive one from Sanchez. Scores 80-73 twice and 79-73 for Tatli. Sanchez came in 2 kg over the contract weight and although he tried he could not make the weight so there was a mutual agreement to lift the target weight slightly. Not an impressive performance in Tatli’s first fight since losing in five rounds against Teo Lopez in April but he will get sharper and having lost and won in title fights against current European champion Francesco Patera a third fight might be the aim. Nicaraguan Sanchez has brave management which has put him in with both Miguel Berchelt and Jorge Linares.

San Juan de los Lagos, Mexico: Super Middle; Julio Cesar Chavez Jr (51-3-1) W KO 1 Evert Bravo (25-11-1).Chavez vs. BravoChavez returns with a win. Bravo was brave but foolish. The Colombian chose to stand and trade punches with Chavez. He had Chavez on the back foot for a short while but then hooks and uppercuts from Chavez forced Bravo to the ropes. They traded hooks until Chavez landed a brutal left hook to the ribs. For a split second there was no reaction from Bravo but then the pain kicked in and he turned away and dropped to his knees and was counted out after just 82 seconds. Chavez was given a celebratory kiss from Chavez Snr who was working for Box Azteca at the show. Chavez, 33, weighed 175 ½ for this fight 11lbs more than in his last fight in May 2017 when he was halted by Saul Alvarez. There was no chance tonight to see how the layoff had affected him but there will be tougher tests to come. Tenth loss inside the distance for Bravo, who gets well beaten whenever he faces quality opposition,

Philadelphia, PA, USA: Super Feather: Jason Sosa (23-3-4) W TKO 7 Haskell Rhodes (27-4-1). Middle: Edgar Berlanga (12-0) W TKO 1 Gregory Trenel (11-5-2). Feather: Adan Gonzales (5-2-2) W PTS 4 Robeisy Ramirez (0-1).Sosa vs. RhodesSosa hunts and hounds Rhodes to defeat. Sosa applied constant pressure focusing on the body. Rhodes was forced to try to match Sosa’s work rate and power but by the end of the fourth he was starting to weaken. A left hook put Rhodes down in the fifth and he went down heavily but somehow made it to his feet. Sosa landed a series of punches and Rhodes went down again. He was in a bad way when he arose but it was too close to the bell for Sosa to end the fight. Sosa attacked strongly again in the sixth but a clash of heads opened a cut over his left eye. A left uppercut dumped Rhodes on the canvas in the seventh which should have been the end but Rhodes got up and Sosa was allowed to pound on him some more until Rhodes trainer climbed onto the apron to call for the fight to be stopped. After consecutive losses to Vasyl Lomachenko and Yuriorkis Gamboa Sosa has a rebuilding job to do and this is his third win along that path. Rhodes had won 4 of his last 5 fights but when he has tried to move up he has lost to Sergey Lipinets, Edner Cherry and Omar Douglas. This is the first time he has failed to go the distance.Berlanga vs. TrenelBerlanga has yet to hear the bell for the second round and he makes it twelve first round wins with stoppage of Frenchman Trenel. Berlanga put Trenel over early with a left to the head and after the French fighter beat the count Berlanga bombarded him with punches and the referee had seen enough and halted the fight with 36 seconds remaining in the round. “The Chosen One” Berlanga, 22, a fighter of Puerto Rican antecedents who was brought up in Brooklyn, made a habit of having to settle for silver medals in the amateurs. He turned pro at 18 after losing out at the US Olympic Trials for a place in Rio. He needs better opposition before we can judge how far he can go. He also needs seven more first round wins in a row to equal the record of 19 first round wins in a row held by Tyrone Brunson. First inside the distance defeat for Trenel who was 9-1-2 in his previous 12 fights.Gonzales vs. RamirezOh dear! This was not supposed to happen as Gonzalez ruins the first appearance as a pro of 25-year-old Cuban Ramirez. The Cuban had won gold medals at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympics beating both Michael Conlan and Shakur Stevens. Gonzales threw the script away from the outset as he landed a left to the head in the first which saw Ramirez topple back and put his gloves on the floor to stop going down and was given a count. Ramirez never seemed to recover and was well beaten. Scores 40-35 and 39-36 for Gonzalez and 38-37 for Ramirez.The 22-year-old Gonzales just really a moderate prelim fighter looked a safe ask for Ramirez now the Cuban has some questions to answer.

Grand Prairie, TX, USA: Welter: Vergil Ortiz (14-0) W TKO 6 Antonio Orozco (28-2). Bantam: Joshua Franco (15-1-2) DRE W 10 Oscar Negrete (18-3-1). Light: Hector Tanajara (18-0) W PTS 10 Ezequiel Aviles (16-4-3). Super Light: Marcelino Lopez (36-2-1) W KO 5 Daniel Echeverria (21-9).Ortiz vs. OrozcoIn front of his home town fans Ortiz marches on as he stops Orozco although for three rounds Orozco attacked hard and was a good test. Ortiz made a strong start in the first marching forward behind his jab and landing with a couple of left hooks to the body. He had Orozco under fire on the ropes and as Orozco dropped to his haunches it could have led to a count as Orozco was sitting on the bottom rope. Orozco then took the fight to Ortiz and they traded body punches to the bell. In the second Ortiz wanted to box and Orozco wanted to brawl and they both had some success. Ortiz used his jab and lots of movement to frustrate Orozco’s swarming attacks in the third and was hooking well to the body. Late in the round Orozco managed to pin Ortiz on the ropes and connected with body punches. Ortiz really found the range in the fourth as he upped his pace and began to land with heavy rights and Orozco was finding it difficult to get inside. The fifth was a slower round with Ortiz still sticking with the jab and some left hooks to the body and a lot of the fire seemed to have gone out of Orozco. Ortiz went to work in the sixth. He connected with two fierce left hooks to the body and Orozco went down on one knee. Orozco only just beat the count and then Ortiz bombarded him with lefts and rights to the head until a wicked right to the head forced Orozco to take a knee. Again Orozco was late getting up and when the action resumed another right had him dipping at the knees. He did not go down but another series from Ortiz ending with a right to the head floored Orozco and the referee waived off the fight. The 21-year-old Texan is an outstanding prospect and the way he took Orozco apart in the sixth was impressive. He has wins over experienced fighters in Jorge Salgado, who once stopped Jorge Linares inside a round, Roberto Ortiz and Mauricio Herrera and this is the first time he had had to go past the third round for a victory. Orozco lived up to his “Relentless” nickname over those first three rounds but was then just overpowered. His only other loss was on points against Jose Carlos Ramirez in a challenge for the WBC title.Franco vs. NegreteThis is one of those pairings where they could fight each other ten times and they would all be close fights. In their two previous meeting Franco Had won the first on a split decision and they then fought to a split draw. There was never much between them here. All of the rounds were close and neither fighter was really able to dominate and the draw looked the right outcome. It was the swarming attacks of Negron against the lower punch rate but more accuracy from Franco as they traded punches from bell to bell. Scores 96-94 Franco, 96-94 Negrete and 95-95. Texan Franco was making the second defence of his NABF title and the first of his WBA International title so he still has two belts. Colombian Negrete lost on points to Rey Vargas for the WBC title in December 2017 and is now 1-1-2 in his four fights since then Tanajara vs. AvilesStylish boxing from San Antonio’s Tanajara sees him outbox Aviles and retain the WBC USNBC belt. In the early rounds Aviles tried to pressure and hustle Tanajara out of his stride but the youngster stuck to his boxing using a powerful jab and clever movement to frustrate Aviles. Over the middle rounds as Aviles continued to come forward Tanajara was landing heavy counters. He is not a big puncher but had Aviles hurt a couple of times as Aviles left himself open in his desperation to land a big punch to swing the fight his way. Aviles never found that punch and Tanajara cruised to victory. Scores 100-90 for Tanajara on all three cards. The 22-year-old Tanajara already has impressive wins over 19-1-1 Roger Gutierrez and 36-2 Roberto Manzanarez so is worth following. After putting together a 14-bout unbeaten streak Aviles has now suffered three consecutive defeats.Lopez vs. EcheverriaSeasoned Argentinian puncher Lopez makes it four inside the distance wins in his last four fights as he knocks out Mexican Echeverria. For a couple of rounds southpaw Echeverria by far the taller man boxed well on the outside against the dangerous Lopez. The Argentinian finally found openings in the fourth and put Echeverria down twice and on each occasion he also knocked Echevarria’s mouthguard out. A thumping straight right put Echeverria down in the fifth and this time he was counted out. Lopez, 33, a former Argentinian and South American champion who went 29-0-1 in his first 30 fights, has now won 7 of his last 8 contests with all seven wins coming by KO/TKO and the loss being a split decision against Michael Perez. Echeverria also made an impressive start to his career by winning his first 18 fights before tasting defeat against Jorge Paez Jr. He then lost his next seven fights but coming into this bout had scored two wins.

Accra, Ghana: Heavy: Ebenezer Tetteh (20-0) W RTD 6 Morris Okolla (11-4). Tetteh gets a win but is very far from impressive. Against an aging and portly Okolla Tetteh did not look good. Okolla proved to be a better fighter than he looked and at times out jabbed the taller Tetteh and although Tetteh downloaded some big rights in every round Okolla never really seemed to be really shaken in the fight. It was a slow paced bout with Tetteh clearly the harder puncher but lacking footwork and throwing one punch at a time. He slowly broke Okolla down and the Kenyan failed to come out for the seventh round due to bruising around his eyes and a nose injury. The 31-year-old Tetteh gets his seventeenth win by KO/TKO but he will have to improve a very great deal if he is going to give Daniel Dubois any kind of fight. Okolla, 37 had scored a low level win in December but that was his first fight in almost two years. This was a curious fight. Tetteh was to have fought Okolla on this night on the undercard of a fight between Patrick Allotey and Eric Kapai Mukadi for the WBO African super welter title at Accra Sports Stadium. However it was announced on the morning of the 10th that the show was cancelled due to “some unfortunate health issues with regard to the main bout on the card”. However the Tetteh fight did take place but in a gymnasium or small hall and not at the Stadium and I can only assume it went ahead as it was being billed as a Commonwealth title eliminator with Tetteh already announced as fighting Daniel Dubois on 27 September for the vacant title. As for the cancellation of the Allotey fight it is not impossible with Allotey just having been announced as the next challenger for Jamie Munguia that it was too risky to take this fight.

Fight of the week (Significance): I guess the return of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr might count but it was a very low key week.Fight of the week (Entertainment): Even if it was the third time they had met Joshua Franco vs. Oscar Negrete provided plenty of actionFighter of the week: Vergil Ortiz was impressive in halting Antonio OrozcoPunch of the week: The left hook from Chavez that ended his fight with Evert Bravo was a rib-benderUpset of the week: Only a four round fight but there is no way Adan Gonzales was supposed to beat Cuban Robeisy RamirezProspect watch: lightweight Hector Tanajara 18-0 has class

Most sports fans are lucky because in most sports they know the best are going to meet the best. Whether it is the Super Bowl, the World Cup, the Olympic Games the World Series, Wimbledon or The Masters at some stage the best will be pitted against the best when the contestants are at their peak. Pity we poor boxing fans who can only watch in envy as our “best” rarely meet the “best” or when they do too often they are past their best or at least one of them is. An example is that when Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao eventually fought both of them were past their peak. Still great fighters but a couple of years past their best. British examples would be Ricky Hatton vs. Junior Witter and Amir Khan vs. Kell Brook big fights at the time that never happened. There is usually more than one factor that frustrates these fights. Different TV commitments, different promotional ties, ego and of course money.The mandated IBF middleweight title defence for Saul Alvarez against Sergey Derevyanchenko hardly compares to Mayweather vs. Pacquiao but it was interesting match and for me Derevyanchenko was capable of giving Alvarez a very tough fight. Since Alvarez did not want to give Gennady Golovkin a third match-at this time-it was as good a middleweight title fight as we could expect. But of course it is not going to happen because the respective teams could not come to a commercial agreement and the IBF stripped Alvarez of their title. So was it down to different TV commitments, promotional issues or ego. No this was purely about money. With the $300+ million contract deal Alvarez has with DAZN whoever he fights there is going to be very big money involved. If the promotion of the bout is decided on a bidding process then Derevyanchenko would be entitle to 35% of the winning bid. Golden Boy did not want the fight to go to purse offers because they would face competition from Derevyanchenko’s promoter and would therefore be forced to put in a high bid to ensure they won. Not surprisingly they chose to negotiate with Derevyanchenko’s team aiming to get Derevyanchenko’s team to accept a figure which would fall far short of the 35% in a purse bid. The IBF gave extension after extension to the date by which there needed to be an agreement as the two side played brinkmanship. You had Golden Boy’s position being we are not going to get anything like 35% but we will offer a lot more money than you have ever made for a fight and Derevyanchenko’s team saying the gap between the 35% and what you are offering is too wide we are worth more. Nobody blinked so there was no deal and with Golden Boy not interested in a purse bidding the IBF had no alternative but to strip Alvarez because his team walked away from the table making no commitment to defend the title. Oscar De La Hoya branded the IBF decision “an insult to boxing” which is a strange way to say Derevyanchenko wanted more money than we were willing to give him so we effectively gave up the title by walking away.The two boxers are the real losers in this. Alvarez has lost a title and has no ready opponent. With the WBC “elevating” him to Franchise champion and now replacing him with Jermall Charlo as their champion he no longer has the WBC title. There would be zero interest in fighting Ryota Murata and the WBA No 1 is-Golovkin! The talk is of a fight with Demetrius Andrade to unify the WBA and WBO titles which seems logical but a very hard sell. Derevyanchenko can’t be happy at losing the chance to fight for a huge purse and might be wishing his team had blinked but it now looks like he will get a fight with Golovkin for the vacant IBF title. As the mandatory challenger he will have a strong bargaining position and for me has a good chance of beating Golovkin Money makes the world go around, world go around, world go around-the boxing cabaret but in this case the wheels came off.Anybody want a lovely belt? The WBC had one specially made for Alvarez’s proposed fight on September 14-15 to celebrate Mexican Independence. Now there is no Alvarez fight on that date. I was going to call for bids for it but perhaps we could negotiate!You can’t keep the heavyweights out of the news. Disgracefully Jarrell Miller says he expects to fight again in October which makes a complete mockery of all the testing. I am surprised that VADA don’t walk away or at least have a say in whether or not a boxer should be banned and for how long. That’s what the French Agency did over Tony Yoka.So Tyson Fury is going to fight Otto Wallin and Hughie Fury is going to fight Alex Povetkin-shouldn’t that be the other way around. Wallin is better than Tom Schwarz but probably his best result was outpointing fellow Swede Adrian Granat-who was knocked out inside a round by Alex Dimitrenko. It strikes me that Tyson Fury is now having the fights he should have had before fighting Deontay Wilder but the important thing is that he does not lose between now and the return with Wilder.Looks like it will be Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz in Cardiff on 14 December. Ruiz is saying he will choose the venue but that depends on what the small print in the original contract said. The transition from top level amateur to pro success has not always worked out for Cuban boxers. The latest to switch over is 25-year-old Robeisy Ramirez who has his first pro fight in Philadelphia on Saturday. As an amateur Ramirez was Cuban champion five times, won gold medals at the Youth Olympics, the World Youth Championships, the Pan American Games and both the 2012 and 2016 Olympics beating Andrew Selby, Michael Conlan and Shakur Stevenson. Surely he can’t fail-can he?Stevenson will get a world title shot some time this year. He and Joet Gonzalez have been paired to fight for the WBO feather title recently vacated by Oscar Valdez. There is talk of Jose Carols Ramirez defending the WBC super lightweight title against Jack Catterall on the same show.Other title fights lined up in date order are John Riel Casimero defending the interim WBO bantam title against Cesar Ramirez in Manila on 24 August with the winner to meet champion Zolani Tete and on the same night in Nagoya Kosei Tanaka puts the WBO flyweight title on the line against Puerto Rican Jonathan Gonzalez whilst in Puerto Rico Vic Saludar defends the IBF minimumweight title against Wilfredo Mendez, Josh Warrington is defending the IBF feather title on 12 October in Leeds. Takoucht is No 5 with the IBF but with the first two slots vacant he is effectively No 3 and owes that high ranking to winning the IBF International title and not the quality of his opposition. He is No 17 with the EBU. There is talk of Jerwin Ancajas facing Carlos Cuadras in October with the Filipino’s IBF super fly title on the line. Now that could be a great fight. Jamel Herring is defending the WBO super feather title against Lamont Roach on 9 November and there will be a return between Julian Williams and Jarrett Hurd on 14 December as Hurd gets a change to regain the IBF, WBA and IBO super welter titles he lost to Williams in May.It seems to have been just one blow after another for our sport. We had the tragic deaths of Maxim Dadashev and Hugo Santillan then French boxer/actor Jean Claude Bouttier died on 3 August at the age of 74. Bouttier was one of the most popular boxers of his era. He was European champion but had the misfortune of being around at the same time as Carlos Monzon and lost twice to Monzon in world title fights. After he retired he worked as a commentator and then moved in to films and had a very successful career there. One day later former WBC flyweight champion Colombian Prudencio Cardona died on 4 August at the age of 67. He was the fourth Colombian boxer to win a world title –his brother Ricardo was the third. Prudencio had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s. There was another death with Polish fighter Dawid Kostecki committing suicide by hanging himself in his prison cell and then the former WBC welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir jailed for sexual abuse of his daughter who was only eight. His crime had nothing to do with boxing but his world title was a convenient hook to make the story bigger.On a personal level I lost a close friend in Beau Williford who died on 31 July. Beau boxed pro as a heavyweight and then trained and managed fighters but for me the defining aspect of Beau’s life was the work he did with the youth of his home town of Lafayette. He took in many problem kids and turned their lives around. He did not just teach them boxing he taught them discipline. He also insisted on responsible behaviour and that they maintained acceptable school grades. He was teaching boxing but he was also building citizens. That work is done in so many gyms around the world. I dropped into a gym in Dundee run by Greg Menzies a couple of times and saw the same commitment to the youths working there. Last weekend boxers Eric Walker and John Harding Jr had important bouts. Walker won but Harding lost-and yet they are both winners. When younger they both spent long terms in jail. Boxing changed their lives gave them a fresh start that’s a route that many other young men have followed. Yes boxing is a dangerous sport and naturally the tragedies and the bad publicity taint it but in almost every city in the world there are guys like Beau and Greg who give their time to help the local youth but good news is no news so that contribution by boxing to the citizens of the future goes unreported and largely unrecognised.Last crime report. A mugger in Mexico City mugged a guy and stole his watch. The guy he mugged was Julio Cesar Chavez. Not sure if that counts as bravado or brainless.

By Eric Armit​Highlights:-Jean Pascal takes technical decision over Marcus Browne for the vacant interim WBA light Heavy title-Adam Kownacki keeps himself in the queue for a shot at a version of the heavyweight title with points victory over Chris Arreola-Knockout CP Freshmart retains the WBA minimumweight title with technical decision over Filipino ArAr Andales-Michael Conlan stops Diego Ruiz on a triumphant night in Belfast and Chris Jenkins wins vacant Commonwealth title on a technical verdict against Paddy Gallagher-Javier Cintron outpoints Koki Eto in WBO super fly eliminatorWORLD TITLE SHOWSAugust 2Bangkok, Thailand: Minimumweight: Knockout CP Freshmart (20-0) W TEC DEC 8 ArAr Andales (10-0).CP Freshmart (Thammanoon Niyomtrong) retains WBA title with technical decision over Filipino Andales. In a fast-paced opening round CP was already finding the target with sharp jabs and following rights. Andales was getting past the jab occasionally but was not as accurate. Andales pressed hard in the second and scored with some strong right crosses but CP stopped him in his tracks with some crisp left hooks. CP handed out some severe punishment to Andales in the third. Hooks, uppercuts, straight punches from both hands as he drove Andales back but the Filipino just kept pumping out punches of his own. The fourth and fifth were great rounds as now it was Andales marching forward connecting with short punches and CP countering but being forced back by the sheer volume of punches from the challenger. A great little scrap. In the sixth CP used his jab to make some punching room and battered Andales with swinging hooks and uppercuts but the Filipino just kept coming back for more and you wondered how long they could keep up this ferocious pace. In the seventh CP began to show signs that he was tiring. He was holding more inside and although he was still connecting with hard shots Andales just kept coming and a clash of heads opened a cut on the right eyelid of CP. In the eighth although CP was still landing some powerful hooks and uppercuts he was once again holding to smother the attacks of Andales and was under heavy pressure until heads banged together and CP suffered a gash on his left eyelid. The referee stopped the action and asked the doctor too look at the cut. As the doctor was examining the cut one of CP’s seconds was standing beside the doctor trying to treat the cut but he was sent away. The fight was stopped and went to the cards. CP won on scores of 79-73, 78-74 and 77-75 and retained the WBA title. The 28-year-old Thai won the WBC Youth title in his first pro fight so presumable switched over from Muay Thai fighting. He won the interim WBA title in his ninth fight and this is his eighth defence of the full WBA title. He is a tough, talented fighter who rarely wastes a punch but he might have been in trouble if this fight had gone on much longer. Andales had done nothing of note despite his No 5 rating from the WBA but on his showing here the 19-year-old could have a great future.August 3New York, NY, USA: Light Heavy: Jean Pascal (34-6-1) W TEC DEC 8 Marcus Browne (23-1). Heavy: Adam Kownacki (20-0) W PTS 12 Chris Arreola (38-6-1,2ND). Super Welter: Wale Omotoso (28-4,1ND) W TKO 3 Curtis Stevens (30-7). Feather: Cobia Breedy (14-0) W PTS 10 Ryan Lee Allen (10-4-1). Heavy: Brian Howard (15-3) W KO 1Carlos Negron (20-3). Welter: Brian Jones (15-10) W TKO 5 Julian Sosa (13-1-1).Pascal vs. BrownePascal wins the vacant interim WBA title as he floors Brown three times but in the end has to settle for a wafer thin technical decision after Browne is cut in a clash of heads.Round 1Southpaw Brown was using his longer reach and quicker hands to score in the early action. Pascal was too slow with his footwork allowing Browne able to take a couple of steps back out of reach and then counter. Browne sidestepped a Pascal rush and connected with a right and left.Score: 10-9 BrowneRound 2Pascal landed a couple of punches at the start of the round but then Browne started to ping Pascal with right jabs and then come in quickly with lefts. Pascal was trying to draw Browne forward and counter but was not quick enough and it was Brown landing punches before the bell.Score: 10-9 BrowneBrowne 20-18Round 3Browne really let his hands go in this one connecting early and then wobbling Pascal with a straight left. He hurt Pascal with two more hooks but then went back to working on the outside with his right jab and straight lefts and was now taking the fight to Pascal instead of using his jab from distance.Score: 10-9 BrowneBrowne 30-27Round 4Browne was moving and jabbing again but when he moved in behind his jab Pascal met him with a counter right that sent Browne flying and down on his back. He rolled up immediately and did not look too shaken. After the count he held and jabbed for the rest of the round with Pascal too wild in his attacks to land another punch of any consequence.Score: 10-8 PascalBrowne 38-37Round 5Browne dominated this one. He was spearing Pascal with right jabs and banging straight lefts through Pascal’s guard. He cut loose with a series of hooks that had Pascal seeking cover and just swinging wild punches.Score: 10-9 BrowneBrowne 48-46Round 6Another round for Browne as he continued to land his jab and straight lefts with Pascal looking dangerous but just waiting to land one big punch and not working hard enough.Score: 10-9 BrowneBrowne 58-55Round 7Browne was outboxing Pascal in the seventh. Slotting home jabs and straight lefts with very little coming back from Pascal. Browne upped his attacks but with just 30 seconds to go in the round once again as he moved in he was nailed by a thunderous right and went down heavily on his back. As he got up he staggered across the ring to the ropes peering out into the crowd. He looked ready to continue after the eight count but Pascal bundled him to the floor and tumbled over himself so for a brief moment both boxers were on the floor and Browne was given another count. The bell had gone so when the referee completed the eight count the round was over.Score: 10-7 PascalTied 65-65Round 8The referee had the doctor examine Browne before the start of the round but Browne seemed fine. So the fight continued. Browne was very tentative whereas Pascal was storming forward. Their heads banged together with the top of Pascal’s head banging into Browne’s face opening a gash on Browne’s left eyelid. Browne was shaken by the head clash and Pascal landed four good punches which effectively won him the fight. The cut was much too severe for Browne to continue. Initially Pascal thought he had won on a stoppage but as it was a clash of heads it was going to be a technical decision decided on the score cards with the eighth round scored which is where those punches Pascal scored after the clash of heads were so important. Scores 75-74 for Pascal from all three judges giving him the interim WBA title Haitian-born Canadian Pascal looked a man on the road to retirement after being outclassed by Dmitry Bivol for the secondary WBA title in November. He was down at No 15 in the WBA ratings but again showed his ability to bounce back. At 36 and with comprehensive losses to Bivol and twice to Sergey Kovalev a return with Browne would make sense but Pascal will want to make the most money he can so that will be the driver. A Browne supporter might point out that he was winning the fight easily-when he wasn’t being knocked down! He was outboxing Pascal but on a couple of occasions allowed his left hand to drift away from his chin leaving himself wide open and paid the price. He has beaten Thomas Williams, Sean Monaghan and Badou Jack and will be back and fight for a title next year.Kownacki vs. ArreolaKownacki and Arreola exceed expectations as they produce an entertaining and action filled scrap with Kownacki the clear winner but Arreola also boosting his stock. As usual Kownacki was marching forward punching and although on the back foot Arreola was throwing plenty of counters. With neither man paying any attention to defence they had between them landed more than seventy punches over the first three minutes. That level was to carry on for the whole twelve rounds. If anything the pace increased in the second with Arreola taking the fight to Kownacki. The Pole had edged the first and just outlanded Arreola in the second. It was all inside work with hooks and uppercuts and the occasional straight punch and Kownacki had the lead after the third already having landed over 100 punches with Arreola not far behind. There was not much variety in what was happening with two big men clubbing away at each other and the fourth and fifth saw both men rocked but still firing punches. It was slow motion stuff but they were just standing trading ponderous punches at a rate that was ridiculous for two big heavyweights and it did not seem possible that it could go the distance. Kownacki had built a good lead early but Arreola looked to have taken the fifth and although Kownacki was pumping out more punches in the sixth Arreola came back to take the seventh connecting with a huge right that hardly registered with Kownacki. Arreola was coming forward in the eighth but was eating counters and surprisingly at this stage Arreola had thrown more punches than Kownacki but it was Kownacki’s accuracy was making the difference in the scoring. Both were tired in the tenth. Normally Kownacki’s work rate grinds down the opposition but Arreola was still punching away and visibly enjoying the fight and just did enough to take the round.. The doctor examined Arreola at the start of the eleventh but he was ruled fit to continue and proceeded to stage a strong finish over the last two rounds. Scores 117-111 twice and 118-110 for Kownacki. He keeps himself in the queue for a title shot lying at IBF 4(3)/WBC 6/WBA 12 but is unlikely to get a shot before 2020. In losing Arreola put in the best performance he has produced for a very long time. He threw 1125 punches in this fight which is the highest number of punches thrown in a fight by a heavyweight in the 34 years that CompuBox have been registering these statistics and although he is unlikely to ever get another title shot he must have boosted his chances of some good paydays against any of the leading pack. Omotoso vs. Stevens After going 2-3 in his previous five fights Omotoso needed a win here and he got it by flooring Stevens in each round before the stoppage. Omotoso had height and reach over Stevens which meant Stevens had to work his way inside. He was trying to do that in the first when what looked just a cuffing punch to the side of the head had Stevens slumping forward and putting his hands down to keep him from going over. Stevens saw out the round easily enough but worse was to follow. Omotoso was the one landing punches early in the second and a left jab sent Stevens down. He made it to his feet but again it did not look a hard punch. In the third Stevens came out firing. He was connecting with some heavy shots and drove Omotoso around the ring but a couple of Omotoso’s counters shook Stevens. Stevens continued to try to take the fight to Omotoso but a pile-driver right cross dumped Stevens on the floor. He climbed to his feet but after the eight count the referee had a hard look at him and waived the fight off with no complaint from Stevens over the ending. The 34-year-old Nigerian looked to be on his way to a title fight after going 23-0,1ND in his first 24 fights but after losing to Jessie Vargas he seemed to be drifting. He suffered losses against Sammy Vasquez and Jamal James having just one fight in 2016 and one in 2017. He was inactive in 2018 and when he returned in May this year after 17 months out he lost to Chordale Booker. This was a must win fight for Omotoso and could lead to some bigger paydays. For Steven’s it could be the end. The former WBA/IBO title challenger’s punch resistance looks to have been seriously eroded and it is difficult to see him rebounding from this crushing loss. Breedy vs. AllenBarbadian Breedy moves up to ten rounds and gets decision over Adams. The unbeaten 27-year-old represented Barbados at the World Championships, the 2010 and 2014 Commonwealth Games and the World Military Championships and this is his first fight outside of the small halls circuit. Allen had won 5 of his last 6 fights.Howard vs. Negron Howard catches Negron early and bombs him out inside a round. Howard shook Negron badly with a right and forced him to the ropes. Another right put Negron on the floor and the fight was over in just 66 seconds. Although he had eleven wins by KO/TKO Howard should have been an easy night for the 6-6” Puerto Rican. Howard had gone through a spell of just four fights in six years and was 1-1 since his return. This upset should get him a few paydays. Negron had been knocked out in nine rounds by Dominic Breazeale in December and his three losses have all come inside the distance. He turned pro weighing 183lbs and was 242lbs for this fight but even then he should have had no trouble beating Howard.Jones vs. SosaThe way the scripts were being torn up there must have been a lot of loose papers flying about in the Barclay’s Centre. Jones was just here to pad out Sosa’s record and extend his winning run to twelve. Jones put Sosa down in the fourth and although Sosa got up and survived to the bell in the fifth a ferocious attack from Jones had Sosa trapped on the ropes and not punching back and the fight was stopped. Texan Jones had lost four on the bounce before this fight and Sosa was looking for his twelfth win in a row so an unscripted ending along with Omotoso over Stevens and Howard over Negron.August 1Monroeville, PA, USA: Super Middle; Ievgen Khytrov (19-2) W TKO 6 Gabriel Pham (11-2). Super Welter: Ed Walker (19-2) W TKO 4 Jose Abreu (14-6).Welter: Ivan Golub (17-1) W TKO 5 Joaquim Carniero (25-20,1ND).Heavy: Mike Balogun (14-0) W PTS 8 Ed Fountain (12-6). Light: Bill Hutchinson (18-2-4) W TKO 3 Charlie Serrano (16-5-2).Khytrov vs. PhamNew York-based “Ukrainian Lion” Khytrov takes charge early and wins all the way until ending it in the sixth.Khytrov was stalking the taller southpaw. Pham used plenty of movement and kept sticking out his jab but he did not have the power to keep Khytrov off. Khytrov kept Pham trapped on the ropes in the sixth and dropped him with a left to the body. Pham was up at eight ready to continue but a left to the body floored him again. Pham made it to his feet but was driven to the ropes and a wicked left to the ribs sent him down on one knee and the referee stopped the fight.Sixteenth win by KO/TKO for 30-year-old Khytrov. In the amateurs Khytrov beat Ryota Murata in the final of the World Championships but in the pros losses to Immanuwel Aleem and Brandon Adams have seen him drop out of the ratings. He wins the vacant WBC United States title. Southpaw Pham was inactive in 2018 but had scored two wins this year.Walker vs. AbreuWalker gets a stoppage win as Abreu is unable to continue due to an injury to his right hand. After a spirited start from both fighters Walker began to take charge. He was out jabbing Abreu and catching him with right hand counters and building a good lead. In the fourth Abreu turned away from the action indicating an injury to his hand. The referee gave him a standing eight count and when he could not continue the fight was stopped with Walker the winner. Walker’s story is a “boxing saved me” one. His brother was sent to prison for 25 years for murder and Walker, when only 16, was jailed for a series of robberies and spent 13 years in prison. When inside he entered the prison boxing programme and immediately on release the 36-year-old from Louisiana had his first pro fight. He was a competitor in the 2018 The Contender series beating good level opposition in John Jackson and John Thompson before losing a majority decision to Brandon Adams in the final. Two fights later Adams fought Jermall Charlo for the WBC title. Abreu has lost 5 of his last 6.Golub vs. CarnieroGolub makes it four wins on the trot as he floors and halts fellow southpaw Brazilian Carniero. The Ukrainian had big edges in height and reach and although Camero connected with a good over hand left in the first Golub was scoring with right jabs and straight lefts. Camero kept walking forward but was taking punishment with little to show in the way of success. Golub began to press hard in the fourth with Camero resorting to wild swings and spending much of the time against the ropes. A body shot saw Camero drop to his knees in the fifth. After the count Golub drove him back with body punches and the referee stepped in and stopped the fight. Golub, 30, another New York-based Ukrainian, lost his unbeaten tag when beaten a very close decision to Jamontay Clark in June 2017 but has rebounded with four wins. Eighth loss by KO/TKO for Carniero but he has been in tough matches against Kiryl Relikh, Joel Diaz and Subriel Matias. Balogun vs. FountainFormer Buffalo Bills linebacker Balogun gets off the floor to outpoint fellow-southpaw Fountain. After being put down by a right from Fountain in the first round Balogun steadied the ship in the second and then outboxed Fountain with accurate right jabs and lefts to the body dominating the remaining rounds. Scores 77-74 twice and 78-73 for Balogun who did not turn pro until he was 31. At 6’0” and 233lbs he is not big by today’s standards. Fourth loss in a row for Fountain three of them against unbeaten fighters.Hutchinson vs. SerranoPittsburgh’s Hutchinson stretches his winning run to eight with third round stoppage of Floridian Serrano. Hutchinson had a much longer reach but in the end it was a hook to the body inside that finished Serrano. This is Hutchinson’s eighth win by KO/TKO. Third loss by KO/TKO for Serrano. August 2Liverpool, England: Middle; Anthony Fowler (10-1) W PTS 10 Brian Rose (31-6-1). Middle: Jack Cullen (17-1) W TKO 8 John Harding (7-1-1). Bantam: Thomas Essomba (9-5) W PTS 10 Sean McGoldrick (9-1). Super Light: Lewis Ritson (19-1) W TKO 3 Marek Jedrzejewski (14-3). Heavy: Martin Bakole Ilunga (13-1) W TKO 1 Ytalo Perea (11-5-2). Super Bantam: Qais Ashfaq (7-0) W PTS 8 Sean Davis (14-4). Super Light: Robbie Davies (19-1) W TKO 3 Michal Dufek (25-22-2). Fowler vs. RoseFowler gets back on track with imposing victory over former WBO title challenger Rose. Fowler stamped his authority on the fight early with a strong jab that Rose never really found an answer to. Fowler swept the first two rounds with precise jabs and in the third was landing with well-timed body punches. Rose had his own jab working in the third but then Fowler upped the pace again going to the body and was in full “The Machine” mode slotting home jabs and attacking the body over the fourth and fifth with Rose finding it hard to make any impression. Rose was trying to counter but was being outworked. Rose upped his pace over the seventh and eighth but could not match Fowler for power and Fowler was connecting with some solid uppercuts. The ninth finally saw Rose having significant success as he was finding the target with rights and Fowler was cut over the right eye. Rose needed a knockout but it was Fowler who came close to that in the tenth. A left had Rose reeling with Fowler pouring on the punches trying for a stoppage but Rose did not crumble and was still there at the bell. Scores 98-92 twice and 97-93 for Fowler. The 28-year-old former Commonwealth Games gold medal winner made the smart decision to get quickly back into action after losing to Scott Fitzgerald in March. He collects the vacant WBO Inter-Continental title and will now build on this with a revenge fight against Fitzgerald somewhere in the future. For Rose a loss to Demetrius Andrade for the WBO title in 2014 was followed by domestic defeats against Matthew Macklin and Jack Arnfield. He had won his last two fights but after this defeat the future looks bleak for the former British champion. Cullen vs. HardingCullen retains the English title as he gradually dismantles and then stops Harding. The 6’3” Cullen had oodles of advantages over Harding but was also a class above the challenger. Cullen made use of his longer reach early staying calm against the attacks of Harding and mixing left hooks with his dominant jab. Harding put in a big effort in the fourth with a series of uppercuts but again Cullen was composed and jabbing strongly. In the fifth a right and a left had Harding tumbling back and he put his glove on the canvas to prevent going down. He took the count and fired back to survive the crisis. With Harding tiring badly Cullen dominated the sixth and seventh with a mixture of jabs and left hooks and finished the fight in the seventh. Two left hooks, the second a crippling body punch, had Harding backing off across the ring and reeling into the ropes and as Cullen was about to unload on Harding the referee had seen enough and came in to stop the fight. Sixth win in a row for the 25-year-old Cullen and his eighth win by KO/TKO. His loss came last year against former amateur star Ray Sheehan when he was stopped inside a round in the final of a “Last Man Standing “competition but he looked a good prospect here. He lost precious experience time in the amateur when he fell off a ladder at work and suffered a punctured lung and a serious knee injury. Harding is one of those good news stories where after spending lengthy spells in prison he is finding his way to a better life through boxing.Essomba vs. McGoldrick Definitely an upset here as Essomba outworks top prospect McGoldrick to take the unanimous decision. Not a great deal of action in the first but the little man from Cameroon just did enough to take it. Both fighters were letting their hands go in the second and targeting the body and in a lively third it was Essomba who impressed with his straight lefts. The fourth was another round for Essomba as he added left hooks to the mix and looked to be the harder puncher. McGoldrick went to the body again in the fifth as they stood and traded but Essomba was just that bit busier. McGoldrick picked up the pace in the sixth sensing that this fight was getting away from him. He had a good round but a clash of heads opened a cut over his left eye. McGoldrick’s cut fired up Essomba and he attacked hard in the seventh with the cut bothering McGoldrick and then was on top in the eighth and ninth. McGoldrick put in a big effort in the last but Essomba could taste victory and he was the one staging the stronger finish. Scores 98-93, 97-93 and 96-94 all for Essomba. The little 31-year-old two-time Olympian Essomba, a former Commonwealth champion, had lost 4 of his last 5 fights but against opponents such as Jay Harris and Lee McGregor they were fights he was expected to lose but he is never in a bad fight and he showed here that if he gets a sniff of a chance that he can win he is different fighter. Welshman McGoldrick, 27, a former Commonwealth gold medallist who competed at the 2011 and 2013 World Championships had won his last five fights on points and seemed a bit short on power here.Ritson vs. JedrzejewskiRitson continues his rebuilding project with stoppage of useful Pole Jedrzejewski. Ritson made a steady start working well with the jab, switching to the body and looking sharp. Jedrzejewski showed some good movement but despite having 13 wins by KO/TKO he was not able to keep Ritson out. In the third Ritson was landing hurtful left hooks to the body. Jedrzejewski tried switching southpaw but a left to the body put him down on his hands and knees. After the count Ritson drove Jedrzejewski along the ropes and then unloaded with hooks and uppercuts and with Jedrzejewski not punching back the fight was halted. Second win for the former undefeated British champion since his stoppage defeat against Francesco Patera for the vacant European title in October. Second loss in a row for Jedrzejewski.Ilunga vs. PereaIlunga wastes no time in disposing of a poor Perea. A right to the head and then a crunching left to the head knocked Perea sprawling. He climbed to his feet and moved forward when the referee asked him to but did not lift his gloves. Ilunga landed a couple of punches and with Perea just static and not punching back the referee stopped the fight after just 90 seconds. The DRC-born Scottish based Ilunga makes it ten wins by KO/TKO. Last time out he had stopped Polish giant Mariusz Wach in eight rounds. Ecuadorian Perea was an elite class boxer in the amateurs beating Dominic Breazeale and Simon Kean to qualify for the 2012 Olympics but here at 6’0” and 257lbs he was just fat and slow.Ashfaq vs. DavisOutstanding prospect Ashfaq moves up to eight rounds for the first time and gets good win over useful Davis. Referee’s score 79-73 for Ashfaq. The 26-year-old Leeds southpaw is a former English and Great Britain champion and took silver at both the Commonwealth Games and the European Championships. As a former WBC International and English super bantamweight champion Davis was a good test.Davies vs. DufekWith domestic rival Ritson having finished his fight in three rounds Davies was out to at least match that. He was whacking Dufek to head and body in the first two rounds with the Czech having to soak up punishment and being cut on his left eyebrow. In the third Davies took Dufek to the ropes and bombarded him with a cluster of hooks, uppercuts and straight lefts with Dufek crouching lower and lower trying to escape the punches until the referee intervened. The 29-year-old Davies, a former undefeated Commonwealth and European champion, is rated No 9 with the WBA. He had a confrontation with Ritson after this fight and there were enough insults exchanged to guarantee a match between them being put together soon. Dufek, 36 drops to 1-6 in his last 7 fights.Kissimmee, FL, USA: Super Fly: Jeyvier Cintron (11-0) W PTS 10 Koki Eto (24-5-1). Super Light: Yomar Alamo (17-0) W PTS 10 Salvador Briceno (15-5).Cintron vs. EtoCintron wins WBO eliminator with wide unanimous decision over former foe Eto. When these two met in May Eto was initially declared the winner on a fist round knockout. However the replays showed that it was not a punch but a clash of head that put Cintron down so it was declared a No Decision. There was no doubt about the decision in this fight as the fleet-footed Puerto Rican was just too quick for the slowed and cruder Japanese fighter. Cintron was getting inside landing his punches and leaving Eto swishing air. Eto has plenty of experience and exerted pressure all night but was unable to pin down the speedy Cintron and in his eagerness he left himself open and was floored in the second round. Even when Eto did get close some slick defensive work from Cintron saw the Puerto Rican spinning and diving away from danger. Cintron took no chances and stuck to his boxing all the way so the fight lacked excitement but the result was all important. Scores 99-90 for Cintron from all three judges. Despite winning an eliminator Cintron will still only be second in line for a shot at WBO champion Kazuto Ioka as it seems likely that Ioka will defend against No 1Sho Ishida in a big show at the end of the year so Cintron will have to wait until 2020 for his shot. Former interim WBA champion Eto had won seven in a row before the No Decision with Cintron and was No 2 with the WBO but may never get another title chance.Alamo vs. BricenoAlamo makes it a double for Puerto Rico as he retains the WBO NABO title by decisioning Mexican Briceno. Alamo looked a comfortable winner although one card had it close. Briceno came in as a very late replacement and fought hard but Alamo was too quick and too skilful. Scores 98-92 twice and 96-94 for Alamo. Being the NABO champion gets him a No 10 rating with the WBO-he is also Puerto Rican as well which helps-but he is till to face any significant opponents. Briceno is now 2-4 in his last 6 fights but the losses have all been against tougher opposition than Alamo has faced.August 3Belfast. Northern Ireland: Feather: Michael Conlan (12-0) W TKO 9 Diego Ruiz (21-3). Welter: Chris Jenkins (22-3-2) W TEC DEC 9 Paddy Gallagher (16-6). Middle: Luke Keeler (17-2-1) W PTS 10 Luis Arias (18-2-1,1ND. Super Light: Sean McComb (8-0) W PTS 8 Renaldo Garrido (24-25-3). Middle: Alfredo Meli (17-0-1) W PTS 8 Araik Marutjan (8-1). Super Middle: Padraig McCrory (9-0) W TKO 8 Steve Collins Jr (14-3-1). Bantam: Paddy Barnes (6-2) W PTS 6 Joel Sanchez (4-7-1).Conlan vs. RuizConlan has the locals in raptures as he showcases his talent and also provides an inside the distance finish. Conlan was in charge straight away. He was probing with his jab and quickly had Ruiz’s face reddened. Conlan tried a couple of rights but Diaz was constantly going back and the Argentinian hardly threw a punch and did not land one. Ruiz was a bit livelier in the second but he could not get past Conlan’s jab-either of them as Conlan switched to southpaw in the round-and Conlan’s nifty footwork had Ruiz missing badly leaving himself open for some counters. Conlan continually switched guards in the third and began to land some meaty rights. Ruiz was restricted to some wild lunges which Conlan dealt with easily. A punishing fourth saw Conlan warming to his task and connecting with hooks, uppercuts, jabs and straight rights and although he seemed to take his foot off the pedal in the fifth Ruiz still could not get a toe-hold in the fight. Conlan picked up the pace again in the sixth scoring with some clubbing rights. Ruiz was trying hard to launch attacks but Conlan was just too quick and too clever for him. Conlan landed a punch to the back of Ruiz’s head which brought Ruiz’s second up on to the ring apron in protest but he was sent back down the steps and given a warning by the referee. Conlan was loading up more on his punches in the seventh and had Ruiz under heavy fire at the end of the eighth. Conlan ended it in the ninth. A right to the body saw Ruiz take a step back and go down on one knee. He beat the count but as Conlan powered forward with more body punches the referee stopped the fight. The 27-year-old former amateur star wins the vacant WBA Inter-Continental title with his seventh inside the distance victory. He is already rated WBO 5/WBA 6/IBF 12(10) and has wins over Jason Cunningham and Ruben Garcia but there are much tougher tests ahead. Ruiz “The Prophet” had won his last ten fights and had not been beaten inside the distance before this fight.Jenkins vs. Gallagher Jenkins climbs off the floor to retain the British title and pick up the vacant Commonwealth title with a technical verdict over home fighter Gallagher. The early rounds were close with Jenkins just having the edge over the first four rounds. He was quicker and more accurate but Gallagher was the harder punch and was forcing the fight with his aggression. Gallagher upped his pace and started to have more success in the fifth and at the end of the round Jenkins was showing a cut over his right eye from a clash of heads. Gallagher had a big sixth. He scored well early and then just before the bell floored Jenkins with a left hook to the body. The seventh was a close round. Gallagher was on a roll but there was a break in the action after Gallagher landed a low punch and for the rest of the round Jenkins used his jab and good movement to have the edge. Jenkins seemed to have found his rhythm again in the eighth but as heads banged together a bad cut was opened over the left eye of Jenkins. He was allowed out for the ninth but the cut was too bad for the fight to go on much longer and the referee stopped the action. It was decided on the cards with all three judges giving it to Jenkins 86-85. This is the fifth time Jenkins has suffered cuts in a title fight so it is a handicap he is used to dealing with. It took the 30-year-old Welshman three attempts to win the British title and now he has two titles. Gallagher, 30, lost a split decision to Brad Solomon in the now defunct WBC welterweight tournament and lost a majority verdict to Freddy Kiwitt for the vacant WBO European title in February. His strength and aggression might have eventually swung this fight his way and hopefully he will get a chance at revenge.Keeler vs. AriasMinor upset as Keeler floors Arias twice on the way to a unanimous points victory. Keeler could not have asked for a better start as floored Arias in the first with a left hook and shook him again later in the round. Arias recovered well and boxed his way through the second although being rocked with a right. Arias had a good third and this time he was the one scoring with a strong right as they traded punches. Keeler took the fourth as he boxed well on the outside but the fifth saw Arias land a cracking right and then Keeler lose a point for a punch to the back of the head. Keeler rebounded to do some good early work and then finished strongly to edge the sixth and seventh. The eighth proved important as with the exchanges tight Arias lost a point for hitting on the break. The fight was put beyond Arias’ reach in the ninth with a flash knockdown which looked more like a push and despite a storming finish from Arias Keeler was a good winner. Referee’s score 96-91 for Keeler. A career best win for the 32-year-old WBO European champion who is now 7-0-1 in his last 8 fights. After 18 wins in a row Arias is now 0-2-1but the loss was to Daniel Jacobs and the draw against Gabriel Rosado and he will regroup and come back.McComb vs. GarridoImperious display from McComb as he outboxes tough Garrido. The young Belfast southpaw used slick movement and fast hands to pepper the tough Frenchman in the first. Garrido kept marching forward but was too slow to pin down McComb and was having to soak up a succession of punches without getting into the fight in any meaningful way. Garrido’s pressure brought a little bit of success in the fourth as a heads clattered together and McComb was cut over his right eye. McComb’s boxing was flawless over the remaining rounds as he danced around Garrido raking him with punches and then swirling away from Garrido’s attempts to counter. Garrido put everything into the last round and might just have done enough to edge it but there was only one winner. Referee’s score 79-73 for McComb. The 26-year-old southpaw is a former Irish champion and competed at the World Championships, European Championships, European Games and Commonwealth Games and looks very promising. Former French champion Garrido’s record moves into the negative but he is a warrior and popular fighter who always gives value for money.Meli vs. MarutjanBelfast southpaw Meli just squeezes past Marutjan in a clash of unbeaten fighters. This was a very close one and Marutjan can feel unlucky to lose his unbeaten tag. Meli was busy from the first and it was quantity vs. quality and that gave him the edge over the first half of the fight. Marutjan began to connect with solid punches in the fifth and floored Mali with a right in the sixth. The Armenian-born German was outworked in the seventh but was landing the quality punches. In the last after Marutjan scored early Meli finished strongly. Referee’s score 77-76 for Meli. Second win for Mali after a year of inactivity so he had a little dust to shift. Marutjan won a silver medal at the European championships and bronze at the World Championships and competed at the 2016 Olympics so he will go back to Germany and win more fights.McCrory vs. CollinsMcCrory gets late stoppage victory over Collins. This was a much anticipated fight and it lived up to expectations. Both were getting through with heavy shots early in the fight with McCrory showing the higher work rate and going to the body and Collins pacing himself and finding gaps to counter. Collins had a good fourth stalking and outlanding McCrory but McCrory scored with a big punch just before the bell. In the fifth the early body punching from McCrory started to take effect and Collins slowed but the fight was still close. McCrory was on top in the sixth. He was on the front foot and connecting heavily with both hands. McCrory was in his first eight round fight and he also looked to be tiring in the seventh as they just stood and slugged away at each other. McCrory ended it in the eighth. As Collins padded forward McCrory landed a huge right cross. Collins staggered but kept coming only to walk onto two more rights. McCrory pushed him to the ropes and unleashed a series of head punches and when one snapped Collins’s head back the referee jumped in and halted the fight. Big win for “The Hammer”. He wins the vacant Boxing Union of Ireland title with his fourth victory by KO/TKO. First inside the distance defeat for Collins.Barnes vs. SanchezBarnes eases his way back after shock defeat in New York. Nicaraguan Sanchez proved lively but limited. After getting cut over his right eye in a clash of heads in the first Barnes took a little while to get into his stride. By the third he was working Sanchez over with quick combinations and strong body punches. Barnes tried hard to get Sanchez out of there over the last two rounds but Sanchez made it to the final bell. Referee’s score 60-55 for Barnes. His loss to Cristofer Rosales in an ambitious shot at the WBC flyweight title in August last year was no big surprise but his points defeat against 11-5-1 Oscar Mojica in New York in March was. At 32 Barnes can’t afford too many rebuilding fights so will have to step up to better opposition fairly soon. Seven losses in a row for Nicaraguan Sanchez. Rio Gallegos, Argentina: Welter: Adrian Veron (25-3) W PTS 10 Marcello Bzowski (10-10-3).Fighting in his home town Veron is just too good for unrated Bzowski. The speed and accuracy of Veron’s punching quickly put Bzowski on the back foot and he was never really able to challenge Veron’s dominance. Veron shook Bzowski the sixth and ninth rounds but never looked likely to finish it early. Scores 100-93, 99-94, and 99 ½ -92 ½ for Veron. He retains the South American title and is now 3-0 in fights against Bzowski who is now 2-7-1 in his last 10 fights.Accra, Ghana: Heavy:Super middle: Delali Miledzi (13-0) W PTS 12 Iddrisa Amadu (13-4). Middle: Issah Samir (19-0) W TKO 7 John Akulugu (16-6). Light: Michael Ansah (18-9-2) W KO 1 Fatiou Sarouna (2-4-1).Miledzi vs. AmaduMiledzi gets second victory over Amadu having outpointed Amadu on a split decision in October. With this win Miledzi retains the Ghanaian and West African titles. This is his fifth win this year with the others coming inside the distance. Amadu had won 4 of his last 5 contests.Samir vs. AkuluguUnbeaten Samir moves to 16 wins by KO/TKO with stoppage of fellow Ghanaian Akulugu. The 30-year-old Samirwas inactive in 2016 and 2017 but has now scored five win since returning in June last year. He is nominally based in Las Vegas but has yet to fight outside of Ghana. Akulugu had won 15 fights by KO/TKO but loses whenever he tries to tackle tougher opposition. Ansah vs. Sarouna“One Bullet” Ansah fed an easy one as he halts ancient Sarouna inside a round. The 29-year-old Ghanaian moves to twelve wins by KO/TKO and has now won 6 of his last 7 fights including an upset stoppage of 17-1-1 Sherrif Quaye. Benin’s Sarouna has probably had a lot more fights than his record shows but at 39 is going nowhere.Tokyo, Japan: Super Welter: Takeshi Inoue (14-1-1) W KO 2 Komsan Polsan (38-11-1). Middle: Kazuto Takesako (11-0-1) W RTD 8 Shuji Kato (10-2-2).Inoue vs. PolsanInoue brushes aside Thai Polsan (Patomsuk). Inoue used a strong jab and blocked some fierce left hooks from Polsan to take the first round. In the second he punished Polsan with two hefty rights and then put him down with a left to the body and the Thai was counted out. First fight for Inoue after losing a wide unanimous decision to Jamie Munguia for the WBO title in January. He regains the vacant WBO Asia Pacific title, Polsan drops to seven losses by KO/TKO.Takesako vs. KatoTakesako retains the Japanese title in his third defence. Takesako was the aggressor from the start showering southpaw Kato with punches to head and body. Kato fired back with left jabs and lefts to the body but was being outpunched. After five rounds Takesako was in front 49-46 on two cards and 50-46 on the other. Kato hit back hard in the seventh putting pressure on Takesako but he was also taking punishment from Takesako’s counters. Kato again attack hard in the eighth but Takesako was getting the better of the exchanges. Takesako landed a punch after the bell which dropped Kato. It should have resulted in a point deduction against Takesako but Kato had taken so much punishment that his corner just decided to pull him out of the fight. These two had fought a split draw in March and there could be a third match due to the controversy over that last punch. All of Takesako’s wins have come by KO/TKO. Kato was 8-0-2 going into this challenge.Managua, Nicaragua: Super Welter: Roberto Arriaza (18-1) W KO 2 Addir Sanchez (12-21-3). Just a gift for Arriaza as he demolishes poor Sanchez inside two rounds. Arriaza was tracking the retreating Sanchez for most of the opening round. He used a stiff jab to keep Sanchez going back but just could not find the range with his right. Sanchez stopped a couple of times to throw a few of punches but he has no real power and Arriaza walked through them. Arriaza began to connect with his right in the second. Sanchez tried to punch with him but a crunching left hook put Sanchez face down on the canvas and he was counted out. Arriaza’s only loss was on a third round kayo in November against Egidijus Kavaliauskas. Dominican Sanchez has managed just one win in his last fourteen fights Mandaluyong City, Philippines: Bantam: Denver Cuello (38-5-6) W RTD 2 Detnarong Omkrathok (3-10).Body punches from Cuello break down and stop poor Thai opponent Omkrathok. The little southpaw was walking forward behind a high guard and then thumping Omkrathok with left and right hooks to the body. He was largely ignoring Omkrathok’s punches as the Thai had no leverage behind them. Cuello pounded Omkrathok throughout the second mixing southpaw left hooks to the body with straight rights and after the bell Omkrathok’s corner retired their man. “The Excitement” Cuello, 32, a former WBC minimumweight title challenger, was out of the ring for almost four years before returning in March winning the Vacant Asian Boxing federation title in his comeback fight. This is his first defence of that title. Omkrathok should not be fighting for any title and this is his seventh loss by KO/TKO.Marbella, Spain: Light: Samuel Molina (12-0) W TKO 7 Carlos Perez (14-6-1). Super Welter: Jorge Fortea (20-1-1) W RTD 5 Khalid Habchane (7-3-1). Middle: Navid Mansouri (20-2-2) W PTS 6 Wilmer Gonzalez (19-16-1). Cruiser: Mohammad Ali Bayat Farid (13-1-1) W TKO 2 Jose Nunez (2-21).Molina vs. PerezMolina wins the vacant Spanish title with stoppage of Perez. It was a close fight early but Molina began to take control from the fifth and opened a cut over Perez’s left eye in the sixth. The cut worsened in the seventh and Perez was unable to continue. First pro title for the 20-year-old Molina. Perez was having his second title shot.Fortea vs. HabchaneFortea goes to seven wins in a row with victory over Habchane. Fortea had dominated the fight all the way and Habchane decided not to come out for the sixth round. The 28-year-old from Valencia is the Spanish champion. Moroccan Habchane, 41, is a world champion-OK it is only the Global Boxing Federation title which he won in his last fight in 2017!Mansouri vs. GonzalezRoutine six rounds of work for Mansour as he outpoints Nicaraguan Gonzalez. The 30-year-old former undefeated English champion lost a split decision to Fortea in February, which broke a twelve bout unbeaten run for Mansouri. The 37-year-old Gonzalez has settled into the role of travelling loser and this one makes it seven on the spin.Farid vs. NunezWith their respective records this one was only going to end one way and end early with Farid getting another inside the distance victory. German-based Farid, one of the few pro boxers from Iran has scored all of his victories by KO/TKO. His current run stands at nine with six of those ending in the first round. Spanish-based Venezuelan Nunez has lost his last 15 and the only kind thing to say is that he usually goes the distance.Tuscaloosa, AL, USA: Super Light: Julius Indongo (23-2) W TKO 2 Carltavius Jones Johnson (4-2). Heavy: Robert Alfonso (19-0-1) W TKO 3 Steven Lyons (5-5).Indongo vs. JohnsonFormer IBF and IBO champion Indongo sheds some rust in the first round and then floors and halts novice Johnson in the second to force the stoppage. First fight for the Namibian since being blown away in two rounds by Regis Prograis in March last year. Even with the inactivity it is silly putting him in with a five fight novice.Alfonso vs. LyonsThis match was every bit as bad as Alfonso is fed an inexperienced prelim level opponent and gets a fifth round stoppage. After seven years as a pro the 32-year-old Cuban is wasting his time in matches as bad as this.Fight of the week (Significance): Jean Pascal’s win over Marcus Browne gives him a title as a bargaining chip at light heavy and Adam Kownacki’s win over Chris Arreola keeps him in the heavyweight pictureFight of the week (Entertainment)Kownacki and Arreola went at it hard for twelve rounds with honourable mention to Knockout CP Freshmart vs. ArAr Andales which was a thriller.Fighter of the week: Jean Pascal who showed you can never write off a puncher.Punch of the week: Pascal’s right in the seventh was a real thunderbolt with honourable mention to the left hook from Martin Bakole Ilunga that effectively finished his fight with Italo Perez.Upset of the week: Pascal was an outsider against Browne and Thomas Essomba’s win over unbeaten Sean McGoldrick was a surpriseProspect watch: Sean McComb showed impressive skills against Renaldo Garrido

What a week it has been for boxing. Two tragedies,afarce, yet another reported positive test for a leading heavyweight and finally a triumph.

The tragedies concerned Russian Maxim Dadashev and Argentinian Hugo Santillan. With hindsight there were danger signs in Dadashev’s case. He was very tired and had taken a great deal of punishment but had still been throwing punches up to the bell at the end of the eleventh round of his fight with Subriel Matias. He stumbled on his way back to his corner and it was not until he was on the point of collapse after leaving the ring that he was put on a stretcher so it is a case of asking whether the signs should have been spotted earlier. The ESPN team covering the fight thought everything had been done correctly although Tim Bradley felt there should have been some earlier involvement of the doctor.

There is no such grey area with regard to the death of Santillan. From before until after there was just so much wrong about this fight.

The Argentinian took the fight at very short notice but much more serious he took the fight whilst under a medical suspension. Santillan had fought Artem Harutyunyan in Germany on 15 June and lost on points. He took such a beating that the Bund Deutscher Berufsboxer slapped Santillan with a 45 day suspension for “manyblows to the head” which appeared on Santillan’s record on BoxRec. Box Rec took steps to try to get this drawn to the attention of the local authorities prior to the fight. Despite this the fight went ahead and ended in a draw. Initially there were no signs of distress from Santillan as he actually climbed on the ropes in a corner to show he thought he had won. He then collapsed. The result had not been announced so Santillan's seconds half carried half dragged him to the centre of the ring and held him up. He was totally unresponsive with his head sagging on his shoulders. The result was a draw so the referee grasped Santillan’s hand and pulled it as high as he could then the referee and Santillan’s seconds dragged him back to his corner and tried to sit him on his stool;. He was unconscious and slid off the stool and onto the canvas. It was only when lying there prone did a doctor finally enter the ring. He was taken to hospital but had to be resuscitated twice and was then operated on for a serious brain injury. He never recovered consciousness and died early Thursday morning. He was just 23 and was failed by those whose duty it was to protect him.

R.I.P Maxim and Hugo.Farce: The farce came in France-and naturally involved the WBA. Frenchman Michel Soro was to fight Russian Magomed Kurbanov for the vacant secondary WBA super welter title. There was a whole story behind that from which no one involved any credit. Kurbanov had his visa on the morning of the fight-but was in Russia. He had a private plane supplied to fly him to France but his trainer did not have his visa so Kurbanov refused to travel. Panic ensued as this was to be a world title fight and TV cameras were there tocover the event. French middleweight champion Anderson Prestot had weighed in at 161lbs for a six round fight in the show. He was told that if he could get down to 154lbson the day of the fight he could then fight for this vacant version of the WBA title. It was stated that Prestot had got down to 154lbs by 10.30am on the day of the fight so the title fight went on. However in view of the circumstances with Prestot not being in their ratings the WBA rapidly had a contract drawn up which said that the fight would be a defence by Soro of the Gold title he already held. Soro won and the French TV and newspapers were delighted that they had another world champion- because no one had told them that the fight had been downgraded. Cue rage the next day from French TV and newspapers and Soro was not particularly happy either. The WBA have already approved a contest between Erislandy Lara and Roberto Alvarez for the vacant interim title so the mess goes on.

Naturally the report that Dillian Whyte’s A sample had tested positive for a banned substance was big news. One of the problems associated with test results from an A sample on its own is that a fighter has a right to insist his B sample is tested. Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (ADA) covers this in its Results and Management Policy as follows“Sufficient proof of a doping violation is established by either of the following: presence of a prohibited substance or its metabolites or markers in the Athlete’s A Sample where the Athlete waives analysis of the B Sample and the B Sample is not analyzed; or, where the Athlete’s B Sample is analyzed and the analysis of the Athlete’s B Sample confirms the presence of the prohibited substance or its metabolites or markers found in the athlete’s A Sample.”That means that where the athlete insists the B sample is tested he is not technically guilty until the results of the B Sample test is known. On that basis there were no grounds for suspending Whyte prior to the Oscar Rivas fight and there would have been some very costly legal actions flying around if Whyte had been prevented from fighting only for his B sample to be clean. Already Rivas and his team are calling for the result of the fight to be changed and Andy Ruiz is citing this case as a reason for not fighting Anthony Joshua in the UK but until the results of the B sample are known it is all just speculation.

Triumph: There is no other word than triumph to describe the victory for Manny Pacquiao over Keith Thurman and over Old Father Time. It was good to see Pacquiao still had much of his old hand speed and he fought a brilliant tactical battle. His eight-division champion feat consist of being recognised as champion in six divisions by one or other of the sanctioning bodies and in two other divisions by Ring Magazine. Truly amazing achievements. The only down side is that before he has even had his gloves removed he is exchanging jibes with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Please no Manny. You have introduced a bill in the Philippines to set up a Philippines Boxing Commission-currently control of boxing falls under the Philippines Games and Amusements Board-focus on the day job. It would be great for you to get a big win next year but please not Mayweather again.

The purses for the Pacquiao show were Manny $10 million, Thurman $2.5 million, Caleb Plant $750k, Mike Lee $250k,Yordenis Ugas $300k, Omar Figueroa $300k, Sergey Lipinets $250k, Jayar Inson $10k, Luis Nery $150k, Juan Carlos Payano $25k,Efe Ajagba $15k, Ali Eren Demirezen $10k so Manny took home more than the rest of the bill put together and there will have been other ancillary money for Manny.

One source has stated that Thurman suffered a rib injury prior to the fight with Pacquiao. If so I am surprised it wasn’t until the tenth round before a punch from Pacquiao to the body visibly hurt Thurman.I can remember in the days under Chairman Mao when any sniff of capitalism would lead to banishment- if you were lucky. How the old man must be twitching in his mausoleum. The Chinese Boxing Federation has engaged the services of Mayweather Jr to help them improve on the three medals they won in the Rio Olympics. It is difficult to think of anyone who so personifies everything Chairmen Mao was against than Mr Money. How the world has changed!

Great to see Joe Frazier being honoured again in Philadelphia. The Mural Arts Philadelphia has completed an impressive mural which is sited near the Boxer’s Trail gym in Fairmont Park where Frazier trained. I am sure it is partially nostalgia but it seems to me that the best did fight the best in those days and Frazier’s use of positive substance refereed to his left hook.

The WBO have ordered purse bids for Oscar Valdez’s defence of his featherweight title against Shakur Stevenson. The closing date for bids is August 2 with the minimal acceptable bid at $150,000. Both fighters are promoted by Top Rank but are under different management.

Still on purse offers the EBU have set a deadline of September 3 for bids for Agit Kabayel’s defence of the heavyweight title against Joe Joyce and July 31 for bids for Yves Ngabu’s defence of the cruiser title against Lawrence Okolie. Other European title fights lined up include Stefan Haertel defending the super middleweight title against Juergen Brahmer in October, Dominic Boesel putting his light heavy title on the line against Igor Mikhalkin with this one under negotiation and a tasty defence by Sergio Garcia against Cedric Vitu at super welter.

Amir Khan has another fight lined up in Saudi Arabia for November. No opponent named yet but it won’t be Manny Pacquiao that’s for sure.

Farce time again with Anthony Mundine un-retiring to fight 43-year-oldMuay Thai exponent John Wayne Park in November.

Mexican-based American Dewayne Beamon is getting an undeserved shot at Juan Francisco Estrada’s WBC super fly title on August 24. Losing and winning last year against Martin Tecuapetla and not fighting for eight month hardly constitutes grounds for elevating him from 27 to 15.

Discussing his options WBA featherweight champion Leo Santa Cruz has said he is looking for a unification fights against Josh Warrington or Gary Russell and if that does not happen then perhaps a third fight with Carl Frampton. Hey Leo why don’t you unify the WBA title by facing Can Xu-sorry now I am just being silly.

​R.I.P Maxim DadashevHighlights:-Manny Pacquiao wins split decision over Keith Thurman for WBA welterweight title -Dillian Whyte outpoints Oscar Rivas to win the interim WBC heavyweight title-Teo Lopez continues his winning run with points victory over Masayoshi Nakatani-Caleb Plant retains IBF super middle title with inside the distance win over Mike Lee- Michel Soro wins a WBA title with victory over one day substitute Anderson Prestot but no one is too clear which title it is-Puerto Rican super light Subriel Matias stops Maxim Dadashev in IBF eliminator-Yordenis Ugas and Luis Nery win important fight in Las Vegas-Tureano Johnson returns with a win as he stops previously unbeaten Jason Quigley-In heavyweight action Derrick Chisora knocks out Pole Artur Szpilka and Dave Price halts Dave AllenWorld Title ShowsJune 20 Las Vegas, NV, USA: Welter: Manny Pacquiao (62-7-2) W PTS 12 Keith Thurman (29-1,1ND). Super Middle: Caleb Plant (19-0) W TKO 3 Mike Lee (21-1). Welter: Yordenis Ugas (24-4) W PTS 12 Omar Figueroa (28-1-1). Welter: Sergey Lipinets (16-1) W TKO 2 Jayar Inson (18-3). Bantam: Luis Nery (30-0) W KO 9 Juan Payano (21-3). Heavy: Efe Ajagba (11-0) W PTS 10 Ali Eren Demirezen (11-1). Welter: Abel Ramos (25-3-2) W TKO 4 Jimmy Williams (16-3-1,1ND). Fly: Genisis Libranza (19-1) W TKO 4Carlos Maldonado (11-4).Pacquiao vs. ThurmanPac Man or Miracle Man either will do as the amazing Filipino ignores a ten year age gap to floor Thurman in the first and go on to take a split decision to win the WBA titleRound 1Confident and quick start from both boxers. Thurman looking much bigger and heavier than Pacquiao. Thurman was getting the better of the exchanges scoring with some good left hooks to the body and then firing a burst of punches. Pacquiao came forward and landed with a left and right on the retreating Thurman who went down. Not a heavy knockdown so Thurman was up quickly and with less than 15 seconds left after the count there was no more action.Score 10-8 PacquiaoRound 2Pacquiao was strong early in this one with Thurman looking hesitant. Pacquiao was coming forward connecting with rights and straight lefts. He was too quick for Thurman stabbing jab through Thurman’s guard and scoring with clefts. Thurman was not committing himself to his punches. Pacquiao did a little Ali Shuffle at the bell.Score: 10-9 PacquiaoPacquiao 20-17Round 3Some really impressive jabbing from Pacquiao as he rocked Thurman’s head back with rights. Thurman was trying to press more and pinned Pacquiao to the ropes but Pacquiao fought his way off and again was getting through with fast right jabs. Score: 10-9 PacquiaoPacquiao 30-26Round 4Pacquiao was forcing Thurman back with hooks and uppercuts as this one opened but then Thurman landed well with body punches and was putting on more pressure. Pacquiao was flitting around Thurman throwing quick punches but not many landed and Thurman was working well with his jab.Score: 10-9 ThurmanPacquiao 39-36Round 5Thurman was starting to boss the action with his jab. Pacquiao was spending more time on the back foot and against the ropes. Thurman cracked Pacquiao with a sharp right to the head and was getting through with jabs. Pacquiao burst into action at the end of the round but most of his punches were blocked. Thurman seemed to have a damaged noseScore: 10-9 ThurmanPacquiao 48-46Round 6Slowest round so far. Thurman doing the work and throwing the punches with Pacquiao just threatening and Thurman connected with a hard straight right. Pacquiao tried to swing the round his way by attacking late but it was Thurman who landed a couple of crisp head punches.Score: 10-9 ThurmanPacquiao 57-56Round 7Thurman was dictating the action with his jab and as Pacquiao dived forward Thurman clipped him with a sharp right to the head. Thurman was boxing cleverly on the back foot and getting his punches off first. Once again he anticipated Paquiao’s late burst but this time it was Thurman doing the scoring with rights.Score: 10-9 ThurmanTied 66-66Round 8Pacquiao had lost the last four rounds by only fighting in short burst but in this one he was more active for all three minutes. Thurman was still finding the target with jabs and rights but Pacquiao was throwing lots of quick combinations-not hard punches but scoring punches. It was Thurman who finished strongly but he had not done enough to take it.Score: 10-9 PacquiaoPacquiao 76-75Round 9Thurman was using his jab well and dropping in rights and looked to be bossing the action. Pacquiao fired back and was getting through with jabs but then Thurman caught him with a heavy right to the head and then outscored Pacquiao the rest of the way.Score: 10-9 ThurmanTied 85-85Round 10Thurman was the one doing the scoring early in this one. He kept sticking out the jab and finding the target with rights. Pacquiao upped his pace and threw a series of punches. A left to the body suddenly stopped Thurman in his tracks and sent him on the retreat. Pacquiao was hunting Thurman down and landing heavily. Thurman fired back but that body punch had taken the fire out of him for a while just enough for Pacquiao to take the round.Score: 10-9 PacquiaoPacquiao 95-94Round 11Thurman did the scoring early with straight rights but Pacquiao came back with a body punch. Thurman took this one better than the one in the last round and was quickly on the front foot forcing Pacquiao to the ropes with his jab and letting fly to the body. He turned up the heat with another quick attack and connected with more rights and then bobbed and weaved to frustrate Pacquiao’s attempt to stage a strong finish.Score: 10-9 ThurmanTied 104-104Round 12Pacquiao showed the mark of a true champion with a champion’s finish. He was quicker and fresher than Thurman flitting around him landing hooks, uppercuts and straight lefts. Thurman tried some rushing attacks but Pacquiao evaded them and then countered and won the round and the fight.Score: 10-9 PacquiaoPacquiao 114-113Official Scores: 115-112 Pacquiao, 115-112 Pacquiao, 114-113 ThurmanThe 40-year-old champion will now return to his work as a Senator back home. He has fought just once in both 2017 and 2018 and has said he will not fight again until 2020 but no indication who might be in the other corner. Thurman, 30, so nearly won this one. The first round knockdown and the brilliant finish in the twelfth made the difference. He looked so much better than his disappointing title defence against Joselito Lopez in January and he wants a return but I can’t see Pacquiao giving him that. Plant vs. LeePlant has no trouble in despatching Lee inside three rounds in the first defence of his IBF title. Round 1Plant was moving in quickly and landed rights to the body. Lee was waiting too long to throw his punches and when he did throw them Plant had no trouble dodging them. Late in the round Plant connected with a crisp left hook that dumped Lee on his rump. Lee was up quickly and avoided any more trouble to the bell.Score: 10-8 PlantRound 2Lee tried to pressurise Plant and landed a couple of punches when he had Plant against the ropes but that was his only success. Plant was threading jabs through Lee’s leaky defence and banging home body punchesScore: 10-9 PlantPlant 20-17Round 3Lee was down early in this one. After spearing Lee with three jabs Plant landed a clubbing shot to the side of the head and Lee went over. After the count Lee rushed at Plant who landed a left to the side of the head. Lee skidded and fell to the canvas. It was ruled no knockdown but Lee was slow getting up. He again took the fight to Plant but a left hook to the head put Lee down again. As he started to rise the referee indicated he had stopped the fight but Lee threw the referee’s arm aside and protested that he was able to carry on but the fight was over. The 27-year-old champion from Tennessee gets his eleventh win by KO/TKO. He has no mandatory challenger so could go for a voluntary. A unification fight with the winner between WBC champion Andre Dirrell and David Benavidez but that fight is not until September. Lee was unrated and had not met anyone even remotely close to being rated and the gap in class showed here.Ugas vs. FigueroaUgas just too quick and too skilful for the determined Figueroa. Figueroa likes to fight inside and he was rolling forward in the first working to the body with hooks and then landing a hard overhand right. Ugas was having trouble finding space to punch but late in the first a right to the head sent Figueroa stumbling back across the ring and into the ropes. The referee rightly judged that the ropes kept Figueroa from going down and applied a count. Ugas landed a heavy right but Figueroa was punching back as the round closed. Ugas did not want to fight inside and in the second and third he was meeting the advancing Figueroa with hooks and then clinching. A clash of heads in the fourth opened a cut high on Figueroa’s hairline and in the fifth Ugas lost a point for holding. Almost as big a problem for Figueroa was Ugas using his shoulders and elbows to shove Figueroa back to get punching room. Ugas landing heavy head punches before the bell to end the sixth. In the sixth Figueroa kept marching forward; and Ugas kept meeting him with hooks and uppercuts and then launching a fierce attack before the end of the round. Ugas was given another warning for holding in the ninth and continued to connect with hooks and uppercuts on the ever advancing Figueroa. There was nothing Figueroa could do to change the pattern of the fight and Ugas was outscoring him in every round. By the end Figueroa was showing heavy bruising around his left eye and was a well beaten fighter. Scores 119-107 for Ugas on the cards of the three judges. Supposedly this was an eliminator to find the mandatory challenger for the WBC title but with Ugas No 5 and Figueroa No 15 that’s a strange eliminator. Ugas, 33, lost a split decision to Shawn Porter for the WBC title in March so deserves a return but first Porter has to get by IBF champion Errol Spencer in their unification fight in September. Texan Figueroa,29, a former undefeated WBC lightweight champion had scored wins over Ricky Burns, Antonio De Marco, Robert Guerrero and John Molina so this first loss is a big setbackLipinets vs. InsonLipinets produces a devastating left hook to end this one. The hard punching Kazak was walking Filipino Inson down in the first looking to end things early. In the second as Inson shaped to throw a right hook Lipinets beat him to it with a dreadful left hook that sent Inson down face first. Somehow Inson beat the count and wanted to continue but the referee rightly stopped the bout. Kazak Lipinets , a former IBF super light champion, was to have faced John Molina but Molina pulled out with a back injury and Inson, who was to have fought on the show against another opponent stepped up to face Lipinets.Nery vs. PayanoNery wins this clash of former champions with kayo in the ninth round.Payano was the busier at the start of this clash of southpaws. Nery was the bigger man but Payano was connecting with jabs and straight lefts. After that slow start Nery began to roll in the second stepping back from Payano’s jab and landing hooks to the body and a succession of jabs and hooks had Payano backing up rapidly. Nary took the third and then shook Payano in the fourth with a right. The fifth was a close competitive round as Payano scored well in the exchanges. Nery’s power was becoming a bigger and bigger factor. Payano’s quickness saw him still landing plenty of punches but he did not have the power to match Nery. Payano was under heavy bombardment at the end of the sixth and a left in the seventh saw Payano’s nose damaged. Nery was handing out more punishment in the eighth. Payano was still fighting back hard but Nery was walking through his punches and connecting with hooks and uppercuts. At the end of the round a very tired Payano had blood streaming down his face from a cut. In the ninth Nery forced Payano to the ropes then landed a left hook to the body. At first Payano did not react except to throw a couple of punches but then the pain bit and he first dropped to his knees and then flat on the canvas on his back and was counted out. The undefeated 24-year-old from Tijuana makes it 23 wins by KO/TKO. He lost his WBC bantam title when he failed to make the weight for a defence of the title but a four round victory over McJoe Arroyo has him at No 1 with the WBC so he should get a shot at WBC champion Nordine Oubaali either later this year or early next. Payano, 35, a former WBA and IBO bantam champion lost his titles to Rau’shee Warren and was then knocked out in 70 seconds by Naoya Inoue for the secondary WBA title in a WBSS tournament bout. He showed good skills here and is rated WBC 6/WBO 10/WBA 10 so a title shot next year is not out of the question.Ajagba vs. DemirezenAjagba wins this clash of unbeaten former Olympians. Ajagba had big advantages in height and reach and initially stuck to boxing on the outside using his left jab to score and stem Demirezen's attempts to attack. The Turkish fighter did manage to get close and land a couple of hooks to the body and a big overhand right in the second but his successes were few as Ajagba was quicker with both hands and feet. It was a slow paced fight without a great deal of variety in the action. Ajagba was finding gaps for his jabs and occasional rights and Demirezen only really looked dangerous with his long rights. Ajagba connected with good rights in the fourth and fifth and also dug in a solid body punch but then went back to the jab. Ajagba kept Demirezen out with his jab in the sixth but Denizen connected with a barrage of hooks and uppercuts in the seventh. Ajagba slowed in the eighth as Demirezen kept rumbling forward but the big Nigerian was able to use his jab to collect the points over the last two rounds. Scores 99-91 twice and 97-93 for Ajagba. A clear winner but the 99-91 scores looked harsh on Demirezen. As an amateur the 25-year-old Texas-based Ajagba won a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games beating Junior Fa in one of the early rounds and he won a gold medal at the African Games, He reached the quarter-finals in Rio but lost to Ivan Dychko. German-based Demirezen was rated No 10 by the WBO going into this one. As an amateur he was Turkish champion, twice won gold medals at the prestigious Ahmet Comert Tournament and competed at the 2015 World Championships. He also qualified to compete in Rio but lost to Filip HrgovicRamos vs. WilliamsRamos extends his current winning run to seven with stoppage of Williams. Ramos was hunting Williams down with Williams, the taller fighter, boxing but not having the power to keep Ramos out for long. Williams managed to stay out of serious trouble until the fourth when he was stunned by a left and then Ramos launches an onslaught that had the referee stepping in to save Williams. The only fighters to have beaten Ramos are Regis Prograis, Ivan Baranchyk and Jamal James with James winning on a majority verdict in his own home city. Williams lost on points to mark DeLuca last time out.Libranza vs. MaldonadoLibranza makes it a double for the Pacquiao team as he stops Maldonado. No study time here as Libranza and Maldonado went to war from the outset. Libranza rolling forward with hooks and uppercuts and Maldonado was throwing straight shots as they traded punches. Over the second and third Libranza was raking Maldonado with jabs and left hooks to the body with Maldonado bravely trying to punch with the talented little Filipino. They traded body punches in the fourth until Libranza began to drive Maldonado back with hooks to head and body. Maldonado’s head was being jerked from side to side but he stayed inside. Libranza kept pounding Maldonado and with Maldonado no longer fighting back the referee stopped the fight with just four seconds remaining in the round. The 25-year-old Filipino “Cobra” has won eight in a row and this is his eleventh win by KO/TKO. His only loss came in a challenge against Moruti Mthalane for the IBO flyweight title in 2017. Californian Maldonado had scored a good win over Miguel Cartagena in June last year but was decisioned by McWilliams Arroyo in February this year.London, England: Heavy: Dillian Whyte (26-1) W PTS 12 Oscar Rivas (26-1). Heavy: David Price (25-6) W RTD 10 David Allen (17-5-2). Heavy: Derrick Chisora (31-9) W KO 2 Artur Szpilka (22-4). Cruiser: Richard Riakporhe (10-0) W PTS 10 Chris Billam-Smith (9-1). Cruiser: Lawrence Okolie (13-0) W TKO 7 Mariano Gudino (13-3).Whyte vs. RivasWhyte climbs off the floor to outpoint Rivas and win the interim WBC title which somewhere in the far distant future might actually get him a shot at the full WBC title-maybe.Round 1Rivas took the initiative. He was scoring with strong jabs on the retreating Whyte. Whyte landed a couple of clubbing punches but Rivas responded with hooks to head and body and jabbed well to capture the round.Score: 10-9 RivasRound 2Whyte started this round with a series of powerful jabs and then followed one of the jabs with a straight right to the head that had Rivas hurt, unsteady and retreating with Whyte following him throwing punches. Rivas steadied himself then punched back but Whyte landed a heavy combination and controlled the rest of the action with his jab.Score: 10-9 WhyteTied 19-19Round 3Whyte had height, reach and weight over Rivas and the reach part was a big factor. Whyte was constantly banging double jabs through the defence of Rivas and then following with rights. Rivas was not throwing enough punches. Each time he looked set to throw a punch a Whyte jab would hit him on the nose and kill that ambition.Score: 10-9 WhyteWhyte 29-28Round 4If it ain’t broke don’t fix it and Whyte’s reliance heavily on his jab was working. He tried an occasional heavy right but it was the jab that was winning him the fight. Again Rivas was not throwing enough punches and relying on landing one of the big rights he threw now and then.Score: 10-9 WhyteWhyte 39-37Round 5Whyte was not as effective with his jab in this round. He was tending to throw the left as half hook half jab and it was not connecting. Rivas threw more punches but it was Whyte who was dong the most effective work and he rocked Rivas with a right uppercutScore 10-09 WhyteWhyte 49-46:Round 6Rivas threw more punches in this round. He let fly with some combinations early in the round with Whyte being short with his jab. Whyte then began to get the jab working and was sending straight rights along behind the jab to make the round his.Score: 10-9 WhyteWhyte 59-55Round 7Rivas woke up to the fact that he was losing this fight and attacked strongly. He took Whyte to the ropes and blasted away to head and body sustaining his attack for the first time in the fight. He was stopped in his tracks by a right uppercut but was soon taking Whyte to the ropes and letting fly again. Whyte replied with some hard counters but Rivas took the round.Score: 10-9 RivasWhyte 68-65Round 8Whyte was back in control in this round. He went back to his jab often doubling up and connecting with solid body punches. Rivas was a bit livelier but he kept walking onto the jab and getting caught with hooks.Score: 10-9 WhyteWhyte 78-74Round 9Finally some drama as Rivas had Whyte against the ropes and connected with a right uppercut and a left to the head that sent Whyte down. He was up at five and after the count Rivas landed a couple more heavy rights and it was crisis time for Whyte. He moved and jabbed but had to survive a couple more heavy rights before punching back strongly at the end of the round.Score: 10-8 RivasWhyte 86-84Round 10This round was critical. I had Whyte four points in front going in the ninth with only four rounds to go. Now Whyte was two points in front with three rounds to go. Whyte needed to win this one and he did. He was jabbing again and then connecting with clubbing punches to the body. He staggered Rivas with a right to the head and finished the round with a huge right.Score: 10-9 WhyteWhyte 96-93Round 11Whyte fed Rivas a diet of jabs and threw in some uppercuts and solid body punches. Rivas had slowed and never really managed to throw a punch that threatened danger as Whyte boxed without taking chances.Score: 10-9 WhyteWhyte 106-102Round 12A tired last round really produced no fireworks. Whyte was not looking to take chances and Rivas did not have the energy left to stage a strong finish and I thought Whyte just took it.Score: 10-9 WhyteWhyte 116-111Official Scores: 115-112, 115-112 and 116-111 all for Whyte.Despite wins over Derrick Chisora twice, Robert Helenius, Lucas Browne and Joseph Parker Whyte has never even had a whiff of a shot at Deontay Wilder it is to be hoped this win will get him one-of course he may have to wait until Luis Ortiz and Tyson Fury both get their second shot which shows just how much value there is in being rated No 1 by the WBC when there are bigger fights to be sanctioned. Colombian Rivas had stopped Bryant Jennings in ten rounds in January but that is the only name of note on his record and he was well beaten in this one.Price vs. Allen Allen never found a way to get past Price’s jab and paid the price (pardon the pun). A strong jab followed by a straight right was all Price needed here and he rocked Allen with a right in the first. Price boxed in a very composed and controlled manner. Allen kept trying to lure him into trading punches but Price stayed outside and with Allen having to reach upwards with his punches he could not get any power into his shots. On the occasions when Allen did get inside he was able to land a few hooks to the body but generally Price just tied him up and then moved out of range. Price stuck to the jab and began to hurt Allen when he started mixing in uppercuts and left hooks as Allen strode forward. Price had won every round and Allen’s only hope was that Price’s suspect stamina would let him down so he kept trying to attack the body but was soaking up jabs and uppercuts. By the end of the ninth Allen was cut over his right eye and out of energy and Price kept sticking him with the jab in the tenth. It was a lost cause and Allen retired at the end of the round. Price breathes some life back into his career as he gets his third win in a row. He collects the vacant WBA Continental belt but stoppage losses to Christian Hammer, Alex Povetkin and Sergey Kuzmin are indication that the 36-year-old from Liverpool will struggle when he tackles good quality opposition. This may be the end of the road for “The White Rhino” Allen is a very popular and brave fighter but has limitations and despite wins over Nick Webb and Lucas Browne has gone as far as he can.Chisora vs. SzpilkaChisora continues his journey towards a fight with former WBO champion Joseph Parker as he crushes Szpilka with scary second round kayo. Szpilka was quickly snapping out jabs and connecting with straight rights at the slower Chisora. There was no real power in the Pole’s punches and Chisora looked dangerous when he took Szpilka to the ropes and unleashed ponderous hooks. Szpilka was moving well in the second until Chisora pinned him to the ropes and landed a booming right to the head. Szpilka’s legs stiffened and two more thunderous rights to the head dropped him face first on the canvas with the referee immediately stopping the fight. It was a worrying long time before they were able to get Szpilka to his feet. Chisora, 35, is 6-4 in his last10 fights with the four losses being in big fights against Kubrat Pulev, Dillian Whyte twice, and Agit Kabayel. He is No 11 with the WBC but not rated by the other bodies however a win over Parker would change that and even see Chisora get a second world title shot seven years after the lost to Vitali Klitschko for the WBC belt. Former world title challenger Szpilka was coming off a big domestic win over Mariusz Wach in November but this was a particularly brutal kayo and it might be time to think about retiring. Riakporhe vs. Billam SmithFrom the first round there was too much clinching and wrestling as theses two big cruisers struggled to take control. Riakporhe was looking to dictate with his longer reach and Billiam-Smith was looking to counter. Billiam-Smith made a brighter start to the second coming forward and punching inside but the referee gave them both a lecture about wrestling. Both fighters have good jabs but neither was using their jab enough and the styles were not making for an entertaining fight. There were very few times when they stood and traded punches which was making the rounds close and they were warned again about wrestling in the fifth. Later in the round they did trade a few punches. There was plenty of action in seventh with Riakporhe rocking Billiam-Smith with a right to the head. He then cornered him and connected with a series of head punches. Billiam-Smith was in trouble and he turned away with Riakporhe’s attack leaving him draped over the top rope. The referee saw that the ropes were holding Billiam Smith up so applied a standing count and then Billiam-Smith was able to avoid a rushing attack from Riakporhe for the remaining seconds. It was that count that gave Riakporhe the victory as neither man dominated the remaining rounds. Scores 97-92 and 95-94 for Riakporhe and 96-93 for Billiam Smith. The 29-year-old 6-5” Riakporhe was making the second defence of the WBA Inter-Continental title and is rated No 5 by that body. Billiam-Smith deserves a return but a disappointing fight like is not one too many will want to see again.Okolie vs. GudinoOkolie hunts down and floors Gudino four times before the fight is stopped in the seventh round. Not much variety of tactics in this fight. The 6’5” Okolie spent each round tracking Gudino around the ring. The Argentinian was constantly circling the perimeter of the ring and occasionally lunging forward throwing a few punches before clinching and then returning to his circular tour. Rights to the body were Okolie’s best punches but it was a right to the head floored Gudino in the third. He got up and then stayed out of trouble. A tiring Gudino slipped to the floor three times in the fifth trying to avoid Okolie’s punches and as he slowed Okolie was cutting off the ring more often and landing rights. In the seventh Gudino dropped to his knees after a series of punches from Okolie. He made it to his feet but later in the round went down again from a right hook. He was up early but just before the bell he went down from another right and although he climbed up the referee stopped the fight. The 26-year-old British and Commonwealth champion gets his tenth win by KO/TKO and was making the third defence of his WBA Continental title. That title, rather than the quality of his victims, has him at No 2 with the WBA. Second loss by KO/TKO for Gudino.June 18Le Cannet, France: light Heavy: Mathieu Bauderlique (18-1) W PTS 12 Doudou Ngumbu (38-10). Super Welter: Dylan Charrat (18-0-1) W PTS 12 Howard Cospolite (17-7-3). Light: Yvon Mendy (43-5-1) W PTS 12 Diego Eligio (20-4-1). Bauderlique vs. NgumbuBauderlique passes his toughest test to date with wide unanimous decision over veteran Ngumbu. The tall French southpaw was able to use his longer reach to outbox Ngumbu on the outside. Ngumbu never stopped rolling forward but from the fourth round was hampered in his effort by a cut over his right eye which bled for the rest of the fight. Ngumbu tried to stay inside when he could but overdid it in the seventh and lost a point for holding. Bauderlique dominated the action and tried hard to end this one inside the distance but Ngumbu is tough and wily and did not crumble. Scores 119-108 twice and 117-110 for the 30-year-old Rio bronze medal winner who retains the WBA Inter-Continental title. Ngumbu 37 lost to Igor Mikhalkin for the IBO title in 2017 and to Olek Gvozdyk for the WBC title last March when he was forced out of the fight with a calf injury.Charrat vs. CospoliteCharrat wins the vacant EU title after terrific battle with fellow-Frenchman Cospolite. “Butterfly” Charrat is an excellent boxer. Quick footwork, fast hands, plenty of movement and variety in his work-but no power. Cospolite kept rolling forward pumping out hooks and uppercuts but finding the fleet Charrat n an elusive target. Charrat was firing hooks and uppercuts then blocking many of Cospolite’s punches. Cospolite pressed hard in every round and outworked Charrat often enough to make it a tight fight with Charrat just having an edge in accuracy. Scores 115-113 twice and 117-111 all for Charrat. The 25-year-old local and Cospolite had fought to a draw for this title in October. The 36-year-old Cospolite was having his third shot at this title.Mendy vs. EligioMendy given a much tougher time than expected against Mexican Eligio. Mendy had the better skills and fought his usual aggressive fight but was never able to subdued Eligio and had to fight hard to the end of this one. Scores 116-112 twice and 118-110 for “The Lion”. Mendy, rated WBA 5/WBC 6 is now 13-1 in his last 14 fights including a win and a loss to Luke Campbell. Eligio, 22, was 4-0-1 in his last 5 fights.Indio CA, USA: Middle: Tureano Johnson (21-2-1) W RTD 9 Jason Quigley (16-1). Super Bantam:Leonardo Baez (16-2) W PTS 10 Alberto Melian (5-1). Fly: Ricardo Sandoval (16-1) W KO 5 Marco Sustaita (12-2-1). Light: Carlos Morales (19-4-3) W KO 1 Rosekie Cristobal (15-5).Johnson vs. Quigley Bahamian Johnson revitalises his career as he grinds down unbeaten Quigley. Johnson was quick and aggressive from the start. He was using stiff jabs to force Quigley back and then getting inside with hooks. Quigley was landing plenty of counters but could not keep Johnson out. Quigley stood his ground more over the third and fourth but Johnson was relentless and was catching Quigley inside with sharp uppercuts. It was trench warfare in the fifth and sixth with both connecting with hooks and uppercuts inside but Johnson, who changed to fighting southpaw, was on top and was starting to bully Quigley. In the seventh Quigley carried out a sustained attack marching forward pumping out punches for three minutes but by the bell he had swelling around both eyes and blood trickling from a cut over his left eye. Johnson looked the fresher fighter in the eighth with Quigley battling hard but tiring rapidly. Johnson had Quigley pinned to the ropes for much of the ninth firing bursts of punches. By the end of the round an exhausted Quigley almost dropped to the floor but made it to the bell and then retired. A stoppage loss to Sergiy Derevyanchenko and a split draw with Fernando Castaneda had put a question mark over his future but the 35-year-old Bahamian but was impressively sharp and aggressive here so is back in the picture. Irishman Quigley 28 had scored wins over Glen Tapia and Freddy Hernandez and was No 5 with the WBC so this is a big set-back.Baez vs. Melian Mexican Baez outslugs Melian to win a unanimous decision. Baez was the bigger and stronger man and that made the difference in a contest that was more brawl than craft. He stayed on top of Melian never giving the unbeaten Argentinian any chance to use his better skills . They really just stood inside and battered away at each other, Baez generally got the better of the exchanges but Melian had spells where he was outworking Baez and forcing Baez onto the back foot. Melian looked strong in the seventh and eighth. By the end of the round Baez was cut on his forehead and Melian had a swelling under his left eye. Baez changed tactics and danced-not very elegantly- and boxed his way throught the round and two exhausted fighters pumped out punches in the last . Scores 97-93 on the three cards for Baez. Four wins in a row for Baez. Two-time Olympian Melian blows his unbeaten record.Sandoval vs. SustaitaPlenty of action here as Sandoval dropped Sustaita twice in the first round and washimself on the floor inside those three minutes and climbed off the floor again in the second to stop Sustaita in the fifth. The first knockdown came less than ten seconds into the fight by way of a stiff left jab which dropped Sustaita on his rump. After the eight count the very next punch was a short left hook that floored Sustaita again. When the action restarted Sandoval was steaming forward throwing punches trying to take Sustaita out but he was nailed by a right to the chin and went down-and the round was not even a minute old. They then fought fiercely over the remainder of the round. The excitement wasn’t over as Sustaita floored Sandoval with a left hook early in the second. Sandoval held and boxed and avoided any more trouble. Sandoval had problems with the swarming attacks of Sustaita in the third and fourth but was landing crisp counters. In the fifth as Sustaita strode forward he was shaken badly by a couple of punches. Sandoval then drove Sustaita around the ring connecting with a series of head punches and the referee stopped the fight. Still only 20 Sandoval, the WBC Youth champion, has twelve wins by KO/TKO but he flirted with danger here. After losing his first pro fight Californian Sustaitathen went 12-0-1 with ten wins by KO/TKO.Morales vs. CristobelMorales floors Cristobal twice and stops him in the second round. In the first round southpaw Cristobal was fighting out of a crouch and stepping in with jabs. Morales was jabbing strongly and trying straight rights and looking for openings. In the second round Morales connected with a short right inside and Cristobal tumbled back and down by the ropes. He was up at six and when the count was over Morales drove Cristobal to the ropes and landed a left and a right and Cristobal dropped to the canvas and was counted out. It was quite a few minutes before Cristobal was able to get to his feet. Morales, 29, suffered back-to-back losses in 2018 to unbeaten Ryan Garcia on a majority decision and to WBA No 1 Rene Alvarado so a welcome win. Cristobal has three loses by KO/TKO but all to good standard opponents.Panama City, Panama: Super Welter: Charlie Navarro (29-9) W PTS 11 Johan Gonzalez (22-1). Bantam: Leo Nunez (10-0) W PTS 10 Otto Gamez (18-2). Super Bantam: Liborio Solis (30-5-1,1ND) W KO 1 Karluis Diaz (23-10). Welter: Alex Duran (19-0) W RTD 5 Pascual Salgado (12-13-1).Navarro vs. Gonzalez Venezuelan veteran Navarro upsets the odds with split decision over fellow-Venezuelan Gonzalez. Scores 105-104 twice for Navarro and 105-104 for Gonzalez. Four wins in a row for 39-year-old Navarro as he collects the vacant WBA Fedelatin title and breathes life back into a fading career. Panamanian-based Gonzalez, 28, had won all 22 of his fights by KO/TKO fifteen in the first round and all crammed into less than two years as a pro. They are from two different generations with Navarro competing at the 1999 World Championships and Gonzalez at the 2013 Worlds.Nunez vs. Gamez Cuban Nunez springs a mild upset of his own here as he outpoints Venezuelan Gamez. The 24-year-old Panamanian-based Nunez floored Gamez in the last but was so far ahead he did not need the knockdown for his win. Scores 99-90 for Nunez on all of the cards. He won two bronze medals and a silver in the Cuban championships and you have to be good to do that. Gamez, the IBA world champion, had won his last eleven fights.Solis vs. DiazSolis gets his fifth win on the trot. In back-to-back fights against Jamie McDonnell for the secondary WBA bantamweight title Solis lost the decision in the first and the other fight ended in a No Decision due to cuts. The 37-year-old Venezuelan, a former WBA super fly champion, is No 1 with the WBA so he is awaiting the outcome of the WBSS final to see whether Nonito Donaire or Naoya Inoue is the champion. Colombian Diaz was knocked out in one round by Hekkie Budler for the WBA and IBO titles in 2014 and has now lost his last four fights by KO/TKODuran vs. SalgadoPanamanian southpaw Duran gets his fourth inside the distance win in his last five fights as he floors Salgado in the second and third before stopping him in the fifth. No relation to Roberto, southpaw Alexander, 26, was voted Boxer of the Year by the Panama Commission in 2018. Silgado is now 0-7-1 in his last 8 fights.July 19Oxon Hill, MD, USA: Light: Teo Lopez (14-0) W PTS 12 Masayoshi Nakatani (18-1). Super Light: Subriel Matias (14-0) W RTD 11 Maxim Dadashev (13-1). Middle: Esquiva Falcao (24-0) W TKO 8Jesus Gutierrez (25-4-2). Super Feather: Tyler McCreary (16-0-1) W PTS 8 Jesse Cris Rosales (22-3-1). Heavy: Cassius Chaney (16-0) W TKO 1 Joel Caudle (8-3-2,1ND). Middle: Tyler Howard (18-0) W PTS 8 Jamaal Davis (18-15-1). Middle: Dusty Hernandez Harrison (33-0-1) W TKO 7Juan De Angel (21-12-1).Lopez vs. NakataniLopez goes twelve rounds for the first time and overcomes the height and reach of Nakatani to win a unanimous decision. Nakatani made a confident start. He was using his longer reach to probe with jabs and testing Lopez with overhand rights and left hooks. Both scored with some sharp hooks but Nakatani had edged the round. In the second great upper body movement from Lopez had Nakatani missing with his jabs and Lopez was stepping inside and scoring with lefts to the body and it was his round. Nakatani had his jab working again in the third with Lopez looking to drop overhand rights to the head but coming up short with Nakatani just doing enough inside to win the round. Lopez took the next one. He upped his pace in the fourth was getting past Nakatani’s jab and landing hooks from both hands. It looked as though Lopez had scored a knockdown when Nakatani dropped at the ropes but the punch from Lopez landed on Nakatani’s shoulder and the Japanese fighter’s leg slid on the canvas causing him to go down. Lopez continued to press and it was his round. After four I had then even at 38-38.The fifth was closer but still Lopez’s. Nakatani was using his jab less whereas Lopez was using his more. He was getting his punches off first and landed two thudding rights to the head. Nakatani was coming forward behind his jab with quick combinations in the sixth but Lopez was countering well and jabbing well to take the round by a narrow margin and at this stage I had it 58-56 for Lopez. Lopez took the seventh. He was getting his punches off first scoring with left jabs and quick rights to the head with Nakatani pressing hard but not landing much. Nakatani went back to his jab in the eighth. He was following in with right crosses one of which connected flush on the chin of Lopez and was the best punch he had landed so far as he clawed back a round. My score at this point was 77-75 for Lopez. The ninth was tight one Lopez started strongly ducking and weaving under Nakatani’s jab and getting inside to land hooks and uppercuts. Nakatani then had Lopez against the ropes and landed lefts and rights only for Lopez to finish the round strongly to make it his. He also took the tenth. He was stepping inside Nakatani’s jabs and countering with left hooks and scoring with overhand rights. They both landed a heavy right as they traded but other than that punch Nakatani just could not get on target. The eleventh went to Nakatani. He pressed the action finding the range with his jab and connecting with rights. When they traded hooks Nakatani was the one landing. Lopez took the last. He was catching Nakatani with hooks and uppercuts with Nakatani being off target and Lopez ended the round connecting with a barrage of punches which had Nakatani stumbling. The judges saw this one 118-110 twice and 119-109 for Lopez which seemed too wide and I had Lopez winning 116-112. The 21-year-old from Brooklyn had never gone past six rounds before so this was some invaluable experience for him. This was an IBF eliminator so the win makes Lopez the mandatory challenger for Richard Commey. He is No 2 with the WBO so there could be a fight with champion Vasyl Lomachenko down the line. At 5’11 ½” Nakatani, 30, is tall for a lightweight. He showed good skills and plenty of speed so will probably go back to Japan and rebuild looking to find another route to a title fight.Matias vs. DadashevPuerto Rican “Browny” Matias just could be the next big star in Puerto Rican boxing, he put on a high level power show to force Dadashev out of the fight after eleven rounds. After the fight Dadashev collapse and was taken to hospital. He was found to have suffered a bleed to the brain and after an operation remains in a critical condition. Matias forced the fight from the start. Dadashev could not match the Puerto Rican’s power so he went on the back foot using a strong jab and movement to stay in the fight. Matias kept forging forward hurting Dadashev with punches to head and body. Dadashev was having to work hard to keep in the fight and the body punching from Matias had the Russian tiring. Dadashev was being outworked and forced to stand and trade and Matias was connecting with more and more heavy punches. By the eleventh Dadashev was exhausted and just before the bell a punch from Matias had Dadashev reeling. At the end of the round his trainer Buddy McGirt pulled him out of the fight. Winning this eliminator allows Matias to fill the vacant No 2 spot in the IBF ratings making a fight with the winner of the contest between IBF champion Josh Taylor and WBA champion Regis Prograis in the WBSS final. Dadashev needed help to leave the ring and collapsed on the way back to the dressing room. He was put on a stretcher and taken immediately to the hospital where he was operated on for a swelling to the brain but tragically passed away today. Falcao vs. GutierrezBrazilian southpaw Falcao notches up another win as he tries to find a route to a world title shot. He pummelled Gutierrez to head and body in round after round. Gutierrez soaked up the punishment but lacked the power to change the path of the fight. He held out until the eighth when three lefts from Falcao sent him tumbling back and down. Gutierrez was up at eight and Falcao landed some heavy head punches. Gutierrez indicate for Falcao to bring it on and he did. A few more head punches had the referee stopping the fight with Gutierrez complaining bitterly at the stoppage, The former Olympic silver medal winner is No 7 with the IBF, WBA and WBC with his best bet of a title shot looking to be against fellow Top Rank promoted fighter Ryota Murata the holder of the secondary WBA belt. Losses to Murata cost Falcao the gold medal in London and he had to settle for a bronze medal after losing to Murata at the 2011 World Championships. Second inside the distance loss in a row for Gutierrez having been knocked out in two rounds by Steven Butler in November.McCreary vs. RosalesMcCreary marches on. Toledo’s McCreary was busier and more accurate in a competitive fight but Rosales pressed hard and finished strongly to make it close. In the end McCreary deservedly took the split decision. Scores 78-74 and 77-75 for McCreary and 77-75 for Filipino Rosales. Former local Golden Gloves champion McCreary was coming off a disappointing majority draw with veteran Roberto Castaneda so he badly needed to win here. Rosales went 21-0-1 before being knocked out in two rounds in an overly optimistic fight with Jhonny Gonzalez in 2017. He was stopped in four rounds by Shakur Stevenson in January so this is his second loss in a row.Chaney vs. CaudleChaney halts a vastly overmatched Caudle. Chaney was battering Caudle with head punches with the flabby Caudle stumbling badly. A couple of punches saw Caudle take a head dive through the ropes. He managed to cushion his fall to the floor then got up and climbed back in the ring and was allowed to box on. Chaney probed with two jabs and then landed a right that saw Caudle stumble and the fight was stopped. Fifth inside the distance win in a row for Chaney who was named after Cassius Clay. The 6’6” heavyweight was a basketball star at University but when he moved over to boxing he won a gold medal at the Police Athletic League Tournament and a bronze at the US National championships turning pro at 27. First inside the distance loss for Caudle.Howard vs. DavisHoward too quick, busy and too young for journeyman Davis. Howard found plenty of space to use his jab and gaps for some solid left hooks but never really had Davis in any serious discomfort. Scores 80-72 twice and 78-73 for the fighter from Tennessee. No names of note on Howard’s record yet but these are good learning fights. Third loss this year for 38-year-old Davis.Harrison vs. De AngelAfter being inactive in 2016 and 2017 Hernandez is keeping busy and he stops De Angel for his third win this year. Hernandez outboxed De Angel early and with his other two wins in 2019 giving him less than five rounds of action he was getting some useful ring time. He ended it in the seventh dropping De Angel to his knees with a right and although De Angel managed to get up the referee stopped the contest. Prior to his spell away from the ring Hernandez had scored wins over Mike Dallas and Thomas LaManna. He has 19 wins by KO/TKO. He turned pro at 17 and is still only 25 so has time to make up for that spell away. Colombian De Angel has won only one of his last eight fights.Mexico City, Mexico: Light Fly: Ganigan Lopez (36-9) W PTS 10 Saul Juarez (25-10-2).Former world champion Lopez boxes his way to split decision victory over an aggressive Juarez in defence of the WBC Fecarbox title. Lopez was jabbing and moving using his southpaw jab to break up Juarez’s attacks. Juarez kept pushing hard and had success when he could cut off the ring and pin Lopez to the ropes but Lopez was connecting with jabs and some fierce uppercuts inside. The pace told on Lopez over the closing rounds but he held off a strong finish from Juarez to preserve his early lead. Scores 97-94 and 96-94 for Lopez and 96-94 for Juarez. Now 37 the former WBC light fly champion had looked a spent force when losing on an eighth rounds stoppage against Angel Acosta in a challenge for the WBO light fly title in March. “Baby” Juarez was looking to open a path to another world title shot having lost in challenges for the WBC minimum and light fly belts.Bangkok, Thailand: Super Fly: Yodmongkol (55-4) W PTS 10 Mateo Handig (15-19).Former interim WBA flyweight champion Yodmongkol (Sirichai Thaiyen) wins the vacant OPBF Silver title with unanimous verdict over Filipino Handig who gives Yodmongkol a tougher time than expected. Scores 97-93 for the Thai on all three cards. Yodmongkol lost to Juan Reveco for the secondary WBA title and to and Artem Dalakian for the full title. Handig is now 2-14 in his last 16 fights.July 20Marseilles, France: Super Welter: Michel Soro (34-2-1) W TKO 5 Anderson Prestot (23-2). (17-0). Super Middle: Kevin Lele Sadjo (13-0) W TKO 10 Walter Sequeira (22-6). Super Middle: Gustave Tamba (14-1) W TKO 8 Ruslan Shchelev (16-13-1).Soro vs. PrestotFor Soro this fight was to have been against Magomed Kurbanov for the recently vacated secondary WBA title but after suffering visa delays Kurbanov realised he would only arrive one day before the fight so pulled out. Prestot stepped in at one day’s notice and the reward for the winner was down rated to the WBA Gold title although was kept quiet. Prestot had height and reach over Soro and he used his jab well in the first with Soro moving in quickly and landing a right to the head but then having trouble getting past the jab and a straight right from Prestot made Soro stumble. Soro upped his attacks in the second but again Prestot was spearing Soro with jabs. He then launched a furious attack forcing Soro back with hooks and uppercuts with blood tricking from Soro’s mouth but just before the bell a right to the head had Prestot seriously shaken. Prestot connected with a couple of hard hooks and an uppercut at the start of the third but then a clash of heads opened a cut on Prestot’s forehead. Soro was starting to find the target with right crosses and after a booming right Prestot was looking unsteady under the pressure. Soro dominated the fourth. Prestot was already looking tired. His jab had no snap and he was spending most of the time backed to the ropes as Soro scored to head and body. Prestot decision to take this fight at one day’s notice was telling now. In the fifth Soro was driving Prestot along the ropes. Prestot gamely fought back but Soro trapped him on the ropes and kept him there raining punches until Prestot slid to the floor. Prestot made it to his feet but the referee stopped the fight just as the towel came in from Prestot’s corner. Ivory Coast-born Frenchman Soro, 31, was 15-1-1 before this fight with the loss being to Brain Castano for the interim WBA title. Soro will now be hoping that the fight with Kurbanov can be rescheduled. Prestot has not fought at super welter since 2015 having won three titles: the French, EU and WBC Mediterranean: at middleweight and although competitive for two rounds he not surprisingly faded quickly. Sadjo vs. SequeiraSadjo wins his first international title with stoppage of gutsy Argentinian Sequeira. Over the early rounds Sadjo was marching forward with a strong jab and going to the body. Sequeira boxed well on the back foot firing counters. Sadjo tried to overwhelm Sequeira over the third and forth marching forward showering Sequeira with punches. Sequeira was rocked a few time but kept punching back in an entertaining scrap. Sequeira soaked up heavy punishment in the fifth and dropped to his knees in the sixth after Sadjo connected with a left to the body. Sequeira survived but was hurt with body punches again in the seventh and caught by some neck-snapping punches in the eighth. Sadjo’s work rate dropped in the ninth but Sequeira was exhausted holding more and punching less. In the tenth Sequeira was rocked by head punches and then dropped to his knees from a left to the body. Whilst on his knees Sequeira spat out his mouthguard and the fight was stopped. The 29-year-old former undefeated French champion lifts the vacant WBA Inter-Continental title. He showed good skills and plenty of power with all thirteen of his wins coming inside the distance but did not turn pro until he was 27. A former footballer and ankle injury forced him to look for another sport. He was runner-up in the French Championships in 2016 and won the national title in 2017. He won the French title in his fifth fight after less than a year as a pro. Sequeira had won 5 of his last 6 fights with the loss coming against Anthony Yarde on a fourth round stoppage in October. Tamba vs. ShchelevFrench champion Tamba gets his eleventh win by KO/TKO as he floors Ukrainian Shchelev three times before the fight is stopped in the eighth round. Tamba moves the twelve wins in a row. Third loss by KO/TKO for Shchelev.San Nicolas, Argentina: Light: Eduardo Abreu (10-1-1) DREW 10 Hugo Santillan (19-6-2). Abreu retains the WBC Latino title with draw against Santillan but there is just so much wrong about the before and after of this fight in what might yet be a tragedy for Santillan’s family and boxing in Argentina. In the fight Santillan swept the first three rounds being busier and more active than Abreu. In the fourth Santillan began to bleed heavily from the nose and Abreu’s heavier punching put him in control. Santillan tired badly and got through the tenth by moving and jabbing and plenty of holding. At the bell Santillan raised his arm in triumph and climbed on the ropes in a corner signalling to the crowd. Before the result could be announced Santillan passed out. Instead of then getting him medical attention his seconds half carried half dragged him to the centre of the ring. Santillan just hung there head down not capable of standing as the scores were read out. One judge had it 97-93 for Santillan one had it 96-94 and the third saw it at 95-95. The referee had to grab Santillan’s arm to raise it alongside Abreu’s and then Santillan’s seconds with the referee’s help dragged an unresponsive Santillan to his corner. He was so out of it that he slid off his seat to the floor and only then did a doctor enter the ring to examine Santillan. It had been obvious from before the result was announced that he was in serious trouble but neither the doctor or any local supervisor took any action until Santillan had been dragged back to his corner. So much was wrong here before the fight. Santillan took the fight at very short notice when another bout on the show fell though and even worse he had taken a savage beating against Artem Harutyunyan in Germany on 15 June and was under suspension by the German Board until 30 July “formany blows to the head”. Santillan was taken to hospital having to be resuscitated twice and then operated on for a serious brain injury. He remains in intensive care and the prognosis is not good.Justiniano Posse, Argentina: Super Middle: William Scull (13-0) W TKO 6 Sebastian Papeschi (14-2).Cuban Scull keeps his 100% record and lifts the South American title with stoppage of local southpaw Papeschi. Scull floored Papeschi in the fifth round and three more times in the sixth to force the stoppage. The 27-year-old Scull has six wins by KO/TKO. Papeschi was making the first defence of the title. He had reversed his only previous loss. Brisbane, Australia: Cruiser: Aaron Russell (13-6) W PTS 10 Vikas Singh (9-1-1). Super Welter: Ben Mahoney (8-0) W TKO 5 Rahul Kumar (5-3-1). 10Russell vs. SinghLocal fighter Russell wins the vacant IBF Australasian title with points victory over inexperienced Singh. Russell, who has fought for the OPBF heavyweight title, was down to his optimum weight for this one and gets his second win against very poor Indian opposition. First fight outside India and first loss for Singh.Mahoney vs. KumarMahoney has no problems against Indian novice Kumar. Mahoney had won every round before ending it in the fifth. Kumar was very crude and in the fifth he walked onto a left hook that staggered him. Mahoney teed-off on him with jabs and then landed a series of punches that dropped Kumar to his knees. He staggered up but Mahoney landed a fierce uppercut and a left hook and the referee jumped in and stopped the fight. The 24-year-old Queenslander was moving up to eight rounds for the first time but did not need that many rounds to win against Kumar.Accra, Ghana: Welter: Freddy Kiwitt (16-2) W TKO 5 Samuel Turkson (15-6). Light: Emanuel Tagoe (31-1) W TKO 6 Ishmael Aryeety (13-5).Kiwitt vs. TurksonLiberian-born Kiwitt wins the vacant ABU title with stoppage of Ghanaian Turkson. The London-based German “ Pretty Boy” was in charge from the start and shook Turkson repeatedly with strong uppercuts until the fight was stopped. Kiwitt, who also holds the WBO European title makes it nine wins by KO/TKO. Kiwitt has done most of his fighting in the UK where he has lost decisions against Akeem-Ennis Brown and Louis Green. He won the WBO European title in February with a victory over Paddy Gallagher which has netted him a No 12 rating with the WBO. Ghanaian Turkson came in as a substitute and suffers his second inside the distance loss.Tagoe vs. AryeeteyAn undemanding pay day for Tagoe as he stops Aryeetey in six rounds. The former undefeated IBO champion is rated No 1 by the WBO which makes him Vasyl Lomachenko’s mandatory challenger. Aryeetey has now lost is last two fights by KO/TKO.Mazatlan, Mexico: Super Fly: Pedro Guevara (35-3-1) W PTS 12 Janiel Rivera (18-5-3). Super Bantam: Karim Arce (16-0-2) W PTS 8 Pedro Rodriguez (14-24-3).Guevara vs. RiveraGuevara keeps alive his hopes of becoming a champion again as he outclasses Riverain defence of his WBC Fecarbox title. The home town fighter outboxed the brave Puerto Rican shaking him time and again with rights. Rivera did not fold but was never really able to match the skill or power of Guevara. There were some fierce exchanges late in the fight as Guevara looked for an inside the distance win and Rivera for the knockout he needed as he was way behind on points. Scores 119-108 twice and 118-109 for Guevara. The former WBC light fly champion lost to current champion Ken Shiro on a majority decision in Tokyo in 2017 and has registered useful wins over Roberto Sanchez and Marvin Solano since then but seems to have moved up to super fly where the WBC have him at No 6. Rivera, really only a flyweight at most has lost 3 of his last 5 fights.Arce vs. RodriguezArce is struggling to live up to the Arce name as he gets disputed verdict over Rodriguez. Arce never managed to impose himself on this fight. Rodriguez although with a very spotty record had 5” height advantage and more experience and he pressed Arce all the way with Arce too often finding himself pinned to the ropes. Rodriguez looked worth at least a draw but the judges gave it to Arce on scores of 77-75 twice for Arce and 77-75 for Rodriguez. A loudly booed result. The 21-year-old Arce had had to settle for draws against very modest opposition in 2 of his last 4 fights and is too small at 5’2 ½” for the super bantam division. Rodriguez won his last fight but the result was changed to No Decision after a positive test and he is under suspension from the Nevada Commission until January 2020Brentwood, England: Welter: Michael McKinson (17-0) W PTS 10 Evgeny Pavko (18-3-1). Welter: Shaquille Day (13-0) W PTS 10 Louis Adolphe (10-2). Feather: Thomas Patrick Ward (27-0) W PTS 8 Brayan Mairena (10-12-1).McKinson vs. PavkoMcKinson wins the vacant WBO European title with decision over Russian Pavko. The Russian was pressing the fight hard from the first bell. Southpaw McKinnon was boxing and countering and shook Pavko in the first with a straight left. McKinnon was quicker and more mobile with Pavko very upright throwing one punch at a time. He had problems with the crouching style of McKinson but had good rounds in the fifth and sixth when he connected with some strong combinations. The seventh and eighth were close rounds as Pavko kept coming and McKinson looked to be tiring. McKinson took the ninth with some clever boxing and left hook counters and then jabbed and connected with straight lefts to outbox Pavko in the last. Scores 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94 for McKinnon. The Belfast-based McKinson will probably get a rating from the WBO for winning this title as he adds this one to the WBC International title he won in March. After turning pro Pavko went 15-0-1 before losing in a fight for the WBC International Silver title at lightweight against unbeaten Manvel Sargsyan and is no 2-3 in his last 5.Day vs. AdolpheDay wins the vacant BBB of C Southern Area title. Day had the longer reach and the classier style but Adolphe showed good movement and was continually setting traps for Day. It was an even fight for the first six rounds with Day scoring well at distance and Adolphe suddenly unleashing quick bursts of punches. Adolphe was given a strong warning for holding in the seventh as his work became ragged and Day was showing a cut over his left eye.Adolphe went down on one knee early in the eighth. Not from a punch but because his shorts were rapidly descending towards his ankles. After a dress adjustment Adolphe did some more holding and was deducted a point. Adolphe was not looking to engage at all in the ninth and as Day pursued him and landed a right Adolph he went down. It looked a slip but the referee applied a count. He went down again late in the round under an attack from Day and the bell went when the count was completed. Adolphe slipped over three times in the last round as a frustrated Day emerged a clear winner. Referee’s score 96-92 for Day who was going past the sixth round for the first time. Adolphe’s only previous loss was a disqualification and he flirted with that a few times here. Ward vs. MairenaJust a gentle run out for unbeaten Ward as he easily outboxes Mairena. Ward never really had to get of second gear but Mairena stayed busy and tried hard. Referee’s score 79-73 for Ward. The 25-year-old former undefeated British champion is No 4 with the WBO and should land a title fight next year if he stays unbeaten. Nicaraguan Mairena has lost his last 13 fights but then that’s how he earns his money.Fight of the week (Significance): Any time Manny Pacquiao fights is of significance and his win over Keith Thurman will lead to huge speculation over who he will fight next year.Fight of the week (Entertainment): It only lasted five rounds but the fight between Ricardo Sandoval had five knockdowns with both fighters on the canvas and action all the wayFighter of the week: Manny Pacquiao still a star at 40 with honourable mention to Teo Lopez ashe drives on to a title fightPunch of the week: Any one of the three rights from |Derrick Chisora that felled Artur Szpilka and the left hook from Sergey Lipinets which dropped Jayar Inson was specialUpset of the week: Veteran Charlie Navarro was not expected to beat the 22-0 22 wins by KO/TKO Johan GonzalezProspect watch: French super middle Kevin Lele Sadjo impressed as he went 13-0 with stoppage of Walter Sequeira.

By Eric Armit​Highlights:-Ryota Murata regains the secondary WBA middle title with second round stoppage of Rob Brant-Ken Shiro destroys Jonathan Taconing in WBC light fly title defence-Rey Vargasoutpoints Tomoki Kameda in WBC super bantam title defence-Amir Khan stops Dilly Dib in Saudi Arabia and in other bouts in Jeddah Michell Banquez wins vacant IBO bantam title with points victory over unbeaten Prince Patel and South African Loreto Dlamini wins the vacant WBC International Silver feather belt with points victory over Dave Penalosa-In heavyweight action Daniel Dubois knocks out Nathan Gorman in five rounds in clash of unbeaten English fighters, Joe Joyce outpoints Bryant Jennings for the WBO Gold title, Tony Yoka returns to the ring and stops Alex Dimitrenko in three rounds, Gerald Washington knocks out Robert Helenius in eight rounds, Hughie Fury stops Samuel Peter in seven and Charles Martin stops Daniel Martz in four.-James Dickens, Martin Murray and Terry Flanagan win in Liverpool-Ronny Rios ends the unbeaten run of Diego De La Hoya and there are wins for Shakur Stevenson, Vijender Singh, Marcus Morrison, Liam Williams, Joet Gonzalez and Joshua Greer WORLD TITLE SHOWSJuly 12Osaka, Japan: Middle: Ryota Murata (12-2) W TKO 2 Rob Brant (25-2). Light Fly: Ken Shiro 16-0) W TKO 4 Jonathan Taconing (28-4-1).Super Feather: Joe Noynay (18-2-1) WTKO 6 Satoshi Shimizu (8-1).Murata vs. BrantSometimes Murata is Dr Jekyll and sometimes Mr Hide. This time it was the good doctor who turned up and destroyed Bent in two rounds to regain the secondary WBA title.Round 1Brant went straight to work firing jabs and straight rights with Murata just covering up. Brant then went onto the back foot countering the advancing Murata and with less than a minute gone Murata’s face was red from Brant’s punches. Murata had thrown too few punches in losing his title to Brant but now he began to let fly with purpose. Brant continued to outpunch Murata but Murata was connecting with some heavy rights to the head. As they traded before the bell it was Murata landing the heavier artillery but Brant’s early work just gave him the roundScore: 10-9 BrantRound 2 Brant was snapping out jabs and landing short hooks but Murata was walking through the punches. A left to the body and a right to the head rocked Brant who was suddenly floundering as Murata connected with more heavy head shots until once again a left to the body and a right to the head sent Brant tumbling to the ropes. Brant tried to cover up but Murata drove him along the ropes. Brant reversed direction and tried to get off the ropes but was blasted with punches until trapped in a corner and a series of punches saw Brant tumble down to the canvas. He was up quickly but after the eight count Murata plastered Brant with punch after punch. The referee was about to step in a couple of times but Brant threw an occasional punch so the referee gave him a little more time but hooks and uppercuts from Murata had Brant stumbling badly and this time the referee did stop the fight. Murata, 33, had hardly put up a fight when losing the title to Brant in October Brant won then by ten points on two cards and eight on the third. This was a totally different Murata a fierce and focused fighter who just blew Brant away. It was the same when Murata lost to Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam for the vacant title in May 2017 and then halted N’Jikam in October 2017. Whether Jekyll or Hide turn up he is no match for Saul Alvarez, Demetrius Andrade, Gennady Golovkin or Jermall Charlo. Brant, 28, fought way above expectations when beating Murata and I can’t see him raising his game enough to compete in this very tough division.Shiro vs. TaconingShiro makes a successful sixth defence of the WBC title with stoppage of a game but outclassed Filipino Taconing Round 1Shiro used his longer reach to keep Taconing on the end of his jab early when Taconing managed to bundle his way inside Shiro tied him up. Taconing tried to get under the jab but Shiro began to connect with straight rights at distance and landed right uppercuts as southpaw Taconing tried to come forward. Shiro shoved Taconing backwards to the canvas at the bell but it was not a knockdown.Score: 10-9 ShiroRound 2Shiro was boxing beautifully. Quick movement, sharp accurate jabs and crisp uppercuts. Taconing continued to march forward but Shiro was too mobile and was again scoring with right uppercuts.Score 10-9 ShiroShiro 20-18Round 3As Taconing lunged in Shiro met him with a perfectly timed right uppercut. Taconing was rocked and Shiro exploded with a series of lefts and rights. Taconing survived that crisis but Shiro was still planting rights on the Filipino’s head and was happy to stand and trade. A clash of heads shook Taconing and opened a vertical gash over his right eye. The doctor was asked to inspect the injury and allowed the fight to continue. The referee deducted a point from Shiro* under the WBC rule that if there is a cut in a clash of heads the boxer who is not cut loses a point. Taconing attacked fiercely but Shiro was still slotting home rights.Score 9*-9Shiro 29-27Round 4Taconing stormed forward in the fourth but was walking onto hard counters. Shiro began to drive forward landing inside. Taconing fought back and as he moved forward he was nailed with a right to the head that dropped him to his knees. He climbed up immediately but was unsteady and with blood trickling from the cut and from his nose the referee had seen enough and stopped the fight.Shiro “The Amazing Boy” gets his ninth win by KO/TKO. He does not look a puncher but that is deceptive as the speed and accuracy of his punches together with the fact the his opponents tend to throw themselves forward trying to get past his jab has a cumulative effect as he showed here. The light flyweight division is not a strong one at this time so he may have to move up to be really tested. Taconing gave it his best shot but he never found a way to get inside and paid the price for his lunging attacks. This is his third shot at the WBC light fly title but he is a tough fighter with a good record and would have a better chance at one of the other three versions of the title. Noynay vs. ShimizuThe Japanese fans were expecting to make it three out of three for the home fighters but Filipino Noynay scuppered those hopes as he batters the unbeaten former Olympian Shimizu in an all-southpaw contest. It was almost over inside the first three minutes. Shimizu stumbled after a southpaw left clipped his head and then he was staggered by a right jab. Shimizu then seemed to settle using his own right jab until a left to the head sent him stumbling back and he put his gloves on the canvas to avoid going down. After the count Noynay was connecting with hooks inside and then a left hook to the chin floored Shimizu hard. He was up at four and after the eight with almost one minute left in the round Shimizu wrestled Noynay to the floor landing on top of the |Filipino and then ran and held to the bell. It did not get much better in the second as Noynay rocked Shimizu three times with lefts to the head but Shimizu had a good third being on the front foot and looking to have Noynay on shaky legs. The fourth was Noynay’s as he battered Shimizu with right jabs and hooks inside. Shimizu was now showing swelling around his eyes. In a brutal fifth even though much the smaller man with the shorter reach Noynay was landing hurtful jabs and left hooks with Shimizu looking to have no defence against them. In the sixth Noynay was again getting through with heavy punches. The referee stopped the fight and had the doctor examine the swelling around Shimizu’s eyes but allowed the fight to continue. Noynay landed a series of punches and Shimizu turned away from the action and started to walk to his corner. With no indication the referee had stopped the fight Noynay pursued Shimizu and knocked him down but the referee stepped in accepting Shimizu’s surrender. “Jaw Breaker” Noynay, the WBO No 6, retains his WBO Asia Pacific title in his fifth defence and gets his seventh win by KO/TKO. The 33-year-old Shimizu looked terrible. He showed no real power and very little punch resistance. Big things were hoped for as he won a bronze medal at the 2012 beating Isaac Dogboe before losing to Luke Campbell in the semi-finals. He will have hurt his reputation by surrendering in the middle of a round. July 12Carson, CA, USAL Super Bantam: Rey Vargas (34-0) W PTS 12 Tomoki Kameda (36-3). Super Bantam: Ronny Rios (31-3) W TKO 6 Diego De La Hoya (21-1,1ND). Feather: Joet Gonzalez (23-0) W TKO 6 Manuel Avila (23-2-1). Welter: Alexis Rocha (14-0) W TKO 8 Berlin Abreu (14-3). Super Feather: Roger Gutierrez (22-3-1) W TKO 1 Eduardo Hernandez (28-1).Vargas vs. KamedaVargas makes a fifth successful defence of his WBC title as he proves too quick and too tall for Kameda who pressed hard all the way but never came to terms with the champions physical advantages.Round 1As usual in a Vergas title defence his big advantage in reach dictated the tactics. Vargas was on the back foot moving and jabbing with Kameda taking quick steps forward behind a double jab trying to get close. The challenger did land one good right cross but Vargas was scoring with his jab and an occasional right.Score: 10-9 Vargas.Round 2Excellent round from Vargas. After Kameda managed to pin him to a corner and land a couple of punches the rest of the round belonged to Vargas. Apart from the perennial left jab he was digging left hooks to the body and using the same punch to counter Kameda as he charged forward. Vargas chose to stand and trade for a few seconds and landed a flashing combination.Score: 10-9 VargasVargas 20-18Round 3Kameda needed to be on the front foot to win this but Vargas was making that impossible. The champion was following his jab with hooks from both hands rocking Kameda back on his heels and when Kameda came forward he was met either with a counter or was chasing a shadow.Score: 10-9 VargasVargas 30-27Round 4Vargas took this one but he was not as dominant. Kameda was pressing harder and had some success along the ropes landing a three-punch combination to the head but Vargas was scoring consistently with his jab and left hooks to the body.Score: 10-9 VargasVargas 40-36Official Scores: Judge Lou Moret 39-37 Vargas, Judge Kevin Scott 39-37 Vargas, Judge Zachary Young 40-36 VargasRound 5Kameda was still chasing Vargas down but without success. With his huge stride length and quick footwork Vargas was able to get away from trouble with ease and then step back in rage quickly with a burst of punches and connected with some hard rights to the head.Score: 10-9 VargasVargas 50-35Round 6Kameda managed to land two crisp left hooks in this one but again he was being kept on the end of the champion’s jab and running into hooks and uppercuts as he leapt forward. The pace was ferocious with Kameda chasing hard but Vargas was in control. Score: 10-9 VargasVargas 60-54Round 7Kameda stood off in this one inviting Vargas to come forward. That was to the champion’s liking as he was able to thread jabs through Kameda’s guard and follow those with some strong right crosses. Eventually Kameda changed tactics but was swinging wildly and leaving himself open to counters.Score 10-9 VargasVargas 70-63Round 8This was a much closer round. In his early attacks Kameda landed some hard hooks with a right to the head the best punch he had landed in the fight. Vargas was not throwing as many punches and Kameda just outworked him.Score: 10-9 KamedaVargas 79-73Official Scores: Moret 79-73 Vargas, Scott 78-74 Vargas, Young 79-73 VargasRound 9In this one Kameda decided to throw his arms wide and invite Vargas to com e forward and hit him. Vargas did that but coolly spearing Kameda with jabs and straight rights and by the time Kameda got serious Vargas already had the round won and had no trouble stifling Kameda’s attacks.Score: 10-9 VargasVargas 89-82Round 10It was jab and move with some hard rights in the mixture from Vargas. Kameda was throwing himself into violent attacks but Vargas was tying him up inside. Kameda landed a couple of quality left hooks but Vargas closed the round with a series of quick, accurate punches.Score: 10-9 VargasVargas 99-91Round 11Kameda piled forward throughout this one. He managed to land a few hooks looking to have briefly have buckled the knees of the champion but not a lot of scoring was done with Vargas short with his jabs and not throwing many rights with Kameda just edging it .Score: 10-9 KamedaVargas 108-101Round 12Kameda stupidly threw away a point early in this last round. He was holding Vargas against the ropes and when the referee stepped between them to break them up Kameda then connected with a couple of head punches thrown past the referee and was rightly deducted a point*. Kameda attacked ferociously and managed to land some short punches inside with Vargas just happy to dance to the bell;.Score 9*-9 TiedVargas 117-110Official Scores: Moret 117-110, Vargas, Scott 117-110, Young 117-110 VargasIt is difficult to see where Vargas goes from here. There are no big money fights for him in his own division and although he is skilful his last six fights have all been points victories which have generated little in the way of excitement. Unification fights with Daniel Roman and Emanuel Navarrete would be attractive if they could be made but Vargas is a difficult fighter to look good against and is in danger of becoming the Guillermo Rigondeaux of the super bantams. Former WBO bantam champion Kameda was interim WBC champion going into this one and he will probably get another title shot in 2020 as he is an attraction.Rios vs. De La Hoya Rios proves a road block on De La Hoya’s way to a title shot. This was a fiercely contested contest. De La Hoya is a fighter who likes to take a fight inside and work to the body. Rios had the same idea so they traded hard body punches for much of the six rounds. Rios made the better start digging left hooks to the ribs with De La Hoya seeming to lack any snap in his work. De La Hoya improved some using his jab more and connecting with straight rights to the head putting Rios on the defensive. Rios came back into the fight strongly with his inside work and slowly took control. By the fifth de La Hoya looked to be flagging and the body punching from Rios was having its effect. In the sixth Rios was still working the body and as De La Hoya moved inside Rios met him with a left to the body and then a vicious right uppercut. De La Hoya went down on one knee watching the count. He was up at eight but then told the referee he did not want to continue and the fight was over. A points loss to Rey Vargas for the WBC super bantam title in 2017 was a blow but in some ways the stoppage loss to Azat Hovhannisyan was the one that put a question mark over the future of Rios. With De La Hoya being rated No 3 by the WBA this win puts Rios back into the title mix. A shocking loss for De La Hoya. Not so much for losing to Rios but for the way he simply chose to quit. His “no mas” moment. He is 24 and a “name” so can hopefully put this behind him.Gonzalez vs. AvilaGonzalez collects a couple more titles as he stops Avila in the sixth round. The 25-year-old Californian adds the vacant WBA Continental and WBO Global titles with his fourteenth victory by KO/TKO. He has won 8 of his last 9 bouts inside the distance. He sits behind Shakur Stevenson at No 2 in the WBO ratings so there are some good challenges ahead for Oscar Valdez. Avila was flying high after winning his first 22 contests but then lost a wide unanimous decision to Joseph Diaz in May 2017. Following a routine win in November 2017 he did not fight against until drawing with Jose Gonzalez in March this year.Rocha vs. AbreuRocha grinds down Abreu in a gruelling inside battle. Rocha was on top of Abreu from the off. He was standing in close pounding Abreau’s body with hooks. Abreu was almost static at times in front of Rocha getting the worst of the exchanges. He was making Rocha’s job easy for him as he was not firing back often enough or hard enough and not moving. Abreu did start to move around a little in the fifth and sixth but took a beating in the seventh as Rocha began to switch his punches from head to body. A right to the head followed by a left hook to the body and a right uppercut seriously weakened Abreu in the seventh. A big right shook Abreu in the eighth and a left hook sent him against the ropes. Somehow he stayed upright but Rocha then unloaded with head punches and with Abreu stumbling the referee stopped the fight. The 22-year-old southpaw was defending the WBC Continental Americas title and this is his ninth win by KO/TKO. He was coming off a good win over Mexican-based Japanese fighter Shoki Sakai in April and may soon be ready for better opposition. Puerto Rican Abreu put together a run of seven wins but was then inactive for 17 months before losing on a third round retirement against Gary O’Sullivan in May last year.Gutierrez vs. Hernandez Tremendous upset as Venezuelan stops unbeaten WBC No 3 Hernandez inside a round. Both of these fighters have scored most of their wins by KO/TKO and Hernandez seemed to have no respect for Gutierrez’s power. Hernandez was marching forward trying to work inside and had early success with a punch causing a cut inside Gutierrez’s mouth but he was being caught with rights to the head with every step he took. Gutierrez hammered home a series of rights which first stopped Hernandez in his tracks and then put him on the canvas on his back. Hernandez tried to rise but toppled over again and the referee promptly waived the fight over. Gutierrez,24, now has 19 wins by KO/TKO but he did not seem a dangerous opponent having consecutive losses in 2018 against Hector Tanajara and Oscar Duarte. He was rated WBO 9 going into this fight now he has beaten the WBC No 3 so a world title shot is a possibility. Hernandez is just 21and he can rebuild. He has WBC champion Miguel Berchelt as an example as Berchelt was once stopped in 99 seconds by Luis Florez but is now a champion.July 11Rome, Italy: Middle: Marcus Morrison (21-3) TKO 9 Emanuele Blandamura (29-4). Light Heavy: Serhiy Demchenko (22-14-1) W TKO 7 Hakim Zoulikha (26-11). Cruiser: Tommy McCarthy (15-2) W RTD 2 Francesco Cataldo (7-6). Light: Emiliano Marsili (38-0-1) W PTS 6 Brayan Mairena (10-12-1). Super Welter: Vincenzo Bevilacqua (16-0) W PTS 6 Novak Radulovic (9-4-1). Light Heavy: Valentino Manfredonia (1-0) W PTS 4 Sokol Arsic (1-3-2).Morrison vs. Blandamura Morrison wins the vacant WBC International title with stoppage of Blandamura after a stirring battle. There were plenty of fierce exchanges over the early rounds with both fighters being rocked. Blandamura was fighting with his heart and not his head as Morrison was the harder puncher and the Italian’s corner was urging him to box but Blandamura was unwilling to take a step back or take a punch without immediately firing back. He was also facing a taller opponent with a longer reach so used his experience to work around Morrison’s jab. Morrison rocked Blandamura with rights in the fifth sending the home fighter staggering into the ropes but Blandamura fought back. It was a fast-paced, open fight and at the end of the eighth it was very evenly balanced on the cards although Morrison was getting on top late in the eighth rocking Blandamura with eye-catching head punches. In the ninth Blandamura started by pinning Morrison against the ropes and hooking to the body. Morrison made it off the ropes and was beginning to let his punches go when the action was stopped so that Blandamura’s bootlace could be retied. Morrison then landed four hard rights to the head. An exhausted Blandamura absorbed them but a fifth sent him down on his hands and knees. He crawled to the ropes and levered himself up but was gazing out into the crowd in no condition to continue and the referee stopped the fight with Blandamura collapsing in the referee’s arms and having to be carried to his corner and it was some time before he recovered. 26-year-old Englishman Morrison registers his fifth win in a row and his 15th win by KO/TKO. A real power performance. Blandamura, 39, was trying to regain the title he held back in 2012. A former European champion he was stopped in eight rounds by Ryota Murata in a challenge for the WBA secondary title in April last year. He is a tremendously popular fighter so the hope is he will now retire but Blandamura did say he likes fighting so much he may continue.Demchenko vs. ZoulikhaIn a return match Demchenko comes from behind to stop Frenchman Zoulikha and collects the vacant European Union title. Demchenko had injured his left arm some time prior to the match and made a cautious start. Zoulikha was buzzing around the bigger man able to find plenty of gaps for his wide hooks. Demchenko looked hesitant and was not really throwing enough punchesand althoughZoulikha was cut over his left eye in a clash of heads in the third by the end of the fourth round he had built a lead. Demchenko was cut badly over his right in a clash of heads in the fifth and Zoulikha was connecting with hooks around Demchenko’s high guard. As Zoulikha came forward Demchenko exploded a right to the Frenchman’s head. Zoulikha was out on his feet stumbling to left and right and then pitching down to the canvas on his hands and knees. It looked impossible for him to get up but he did and despite more heavy rights from Demchenko Zoulikha was punching back at the bell. An amazing recovery. They both fought hard in the sixth with Demchenko getting on top late in the round. In the seventh a big right from Demchenko shook Zoulikha and then Demchenko drove Zoulikha across the ring landing lefts and rights until the referee made a goodstoppage. The 39-year-old Ukrainian-born Rome-adopted Demchenko had beaten Zoulikha on a technical decision to win the EU title and this victory marks the start of his third spell as EU champion. He has a spotty record but is dangerous as he showed here. Zoulikha, 35, the EBU No 5, is also a former EU title holder but has tended to lose the big fights.McCarthy vs. CataldoMcCarthy floors late substitute Cataldo twice on the way to victory. Cataldo took the fight at just three days notice when Fabio Turchi was forced to pull out due to an injury. McCarthy was content to just dance around the slower Cataldo in the first firing jabs and trying an occasional right. McCarthy planted his feet in the second going for power and knocked Catalano down with two rights. Cataldo beat the count and managed to stay out of trouble until the end of the round when heavy punches from McCarthy put him down again. He was up and waited out the eight count with the bell going at the end of the count but his corner then retired their man. The 28-year-old Belfast-based McCarthy makes it 8 wins by KO/TKO. His two losses have been in hard contests against Matty Askin and Richard Riakporhe. Cataldo, 37, is a former Italian title challenger but is now 1-4 in his last 5 fights.Marsili vs. MairenaJust a light workout for Marsili. He breezed through this one with too much skill and experience for the very limited Nicaraguan winning every minute of every round. Scores 60-54 for southpaw Marsili from the judges. The 42-year-old southpaw has been floating around the upper levels of the world ratings for years now but has never landed a title fight and it is difficult to see how he can land one now. Twelfth loss in a row for Spanish-based Mairena.Bevilacqua vs. RadulovicFormer undefeated Italian champion Bevilacqua eases his way to victory with decision over Kosovon-born Radulovic. Bevilacqua made a slow start but then took charge and easily outpointed Radulovic without every looking as though he could stop him. Scores 59-55 twice and 60-54 for 25-year-old southpaw Bevilacqua who is still looking for his first inside the distance win. Third loss in his last four fights for Radulovic.Manfredonia vs. ArsicManfredonia hands in his vest and enters the pro ring for the first time. Arsic was no real test. He was able on occasions to take advantage of Manfredonia’s low guard to connect with some punches but Manfredonia was always in charge. Score 39-37 from the three judges. Brazilian-born Manfredonia is a former Italian amateur champion who won a gold medal at the European Union Championships and a silver at the European Games before representing Italy at the 2016 Olympics in his home country but at 29 time is against him as a pro. Serb Arsic had no chance in this one.July 12Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: Welter: Amir Khan (34-5) W TKO 4 Billy Dib (45-6,1ND). Feather: Lerato Dlamini (13-1) W PTS 12 Dave Penalosa (15-1). Bantam: Michell Banquez (19-1) W PTS 12 Prince Patel (19-1-1) W. Heavy: Hughie Fury (23-2) W TKO 7 Samuel Peter (38-8). Khan vs. DibKhan too fast and too big for Dib and floors Dib twice before the fight is stopped in the fourth round. In a messy start the two fighters got tangled a few times. The real action came late in the round with Khan firing a burst of punches most of which missed and Dib taunting Khan for missing. Khan floored Dib in the second with a short left hook inside. Dib did not look badly shaken and after the eight count moved and held to the bell that seemed to go 18 seconds early. Khan was stringing 5-6 punch combinations together in the third and Dib was under pressure all the way. The fight ended in confusion in the fourth. Khan took Dib to the ropes and connected with a volley of hooks and uppercuts with Dib dropping to the floor. The referee had only just started the count when the towel came in from Dib’s corner flashing past the referee who did not see it. Dib’s second climbed into the ring and started to walk over to Dib. The towel had landed behind the referee who was still counting. Dib’s corner man started to back up waiving his hands as if to retract the retirement and Khan’s corner were celebrating. Not having seen the towel the referee was surprised to see Khan’s men in the ring celebrating and then waived the fight off.Kahn wins the vacant WBC International title. This one was just about the money and will have done nothing to improves Khan’s chances of a fight with the winner of Manny Pacquiao vs. Keith Thurman but he showed that he still has great hand speed and gets in some ring time as he waits to see what door open next. Former BF feather champion Dib, 33, stepped in as a substitute and the speed of his corner’s action in throwing in the towel showed that they knew their man was overmatched against a more talented and naturally bigger fighter.Dlamini vs. Penalosa A sparkling performance from the relatively unknown Dlamini which nets him the vacant WBC Silver title. Dlamini was quicker than southpaw Penalosa and was able to land some good body punches and use fast movement to get in and out before Penalosa could counter. Constant changes ofdirection by Dlamini had Penalosa searching for a target and not throwing enough punches. Penalosa scored well with body punches in the third but generally he was a step behind the speedy Dlamini. Penalosa was walking forward in the fourth when a counter right hook from Dlamini put him on his rump. He was up quickly and the bell went shortly after the count was over. Dlamini’s tactics did not vary. He was slotting jabs through the guard of Penalosa then moving quickly out of range before springing back in the a series of punches and getting out with a frustrated Penalosa swishing air. The only success for the Filipino came when he could pin Dlamini to the ropes or when Dlamini chose to stand and trade but those occasions were few. The referee had the doctor examine Penalosa in the ninth suspecting a jaw injury but the doctor cleared Penalosa to continue as Dlamini boxed his way to victory. Scores 117-109 twice and 118-110. After losing his first pro fight Dlamini has now won 13 in a row and although small for a featherweight at 5’5” he looks a very good fighter. Penalosa, the son of former IBF champion Dodie, had won 6 of his last 7 fights inside the distance and was No 10 with the WBO but was comprehensively outboxed in this fight. Patel vs. BanquezBanquez wins the vacant IBO title with unanimous decision over unbeaten Patel. Venezuelan Banquez set out his stall early connecting with strong jabs and thudding body punchesthrough the high guard the taller southpaw Patel. Banquez was outworking Patel and more worrying for the Englishman he was also being out jabbed. Patel had some success when he worked his jab and long rights but Banquez had more variety in his work hooking to head and body. There was not a lot of power in Banquez punches but he was rattling off combinations on a static Patel. By just walking in behind a high guard Patel was not using his reach advantage and was allowing Banquez to pick his spots and then move too quickly for Patel to counter. The high guard approach was not working for Pastel but he had no plan B and although he did better over the closing rounds Banquez still outworked him and was a clear winner. Scores 119-109 twice and 118-110 for Banquez. The 29-year-old Venezuelan has a heavily padded record with his first 14 opponents having just 11 wins between them and he lost a wide decision to Chilean Miguel Gonzalez last June in his only fight of note. He displayed a tremendous work rate here but Patel’s tactics made it easy for him and he will struggle against better opposition. Patel’s record was also heavily padded with a series wins over low level opposition in Hungary. He had won the UBO and WBFederation title and was No 6 with the WBO and the IBF had him at 14(13) but he was a big disappointment here.Fury vs. PeterA poor fight ends early as Peter retires in the seventh round claiming an arm injury. Fury was too speedy and too tall for the 38-year-old Nigerian who although quicker than he looks was restricted to some dangerous looking swings and a few fouls. Fury was able to flit around the ring catching Peter with quick jabs and occasional rights. Peter was warned for a low punch in the third, lost a point for hitting on the break in the fourth and was warned for low punches in the fifth with Fury taking quite a while to recover. In the same fifth round Peter also landed two deliberate punches to the back of Fury’s head. Fury was content to outbox Peter connecting with long jabs and right hand counters and was able to score at distance and hold in close.. Although four inched smaller Peter was 43lbs heavier than Fury and tired from trundling after Fury. He had run out of gas in the seventh and after a clinch he indicated that in twisting his arm he had suffered an injury and could not continue. No real benefit here to Fury except for a few rounds of ring time and a payday. His only current rating is No 15 with the IBF and if he is going to climb he needs to set his sights higher than oldies such as Peter. The former WBC champion from Nigeria has left his best days way behind and is too fat and slow to be a test for a young fighter such as Liverpool, England: Feather: James Dickens (27-3) W PTS 10 Nathaniel May (21-2).Super Middle: Martin Murray (38-5-1) W PTS 10 Rui Manuel Pavanito (10-9-1). Light: Terry Flanagan (34-2) W KO 5 Jonas Segu (19-9-2).Welter: Sam Maxwell (12-0) W TKO 2 Oscar Amador (10-21).Dickens vs. MayDickens sues skill and speed and two knockdowns to bear Australian hope May. In a fast start May was coming forward with strong left hooks to the body and Dickens was using his right jab and some good body punches of his own. A right to the temple staggered Dickens in the second with May landing a couple more clubbing shots until Dickens used movement and his jab to blunt the Australian’s attack. Dickens controlled the action with his jab in the third and fourth. May went down early in the fourth. It was ruled a slip but later in the round a short right hook put May down and after he got up Dickens kept him pinned on the ropes firing hooks and uppercuts to the bell. May tried to up his pace in the fifth but again had trouble getting past Dickens jab and when May missed with a couple of punches he overbalanced and fell to the floor for a questionable knockdown. May fought back fiercely in the sixth and seventh rumbling forward but he was being outworked and looked to be tiringas Dickens consistently scored with his right jab and straight lefts. Dickens boxed intelligently in the eighth and ninth spearing May with jabs and he was now the one doing the pressing. May needed a knockout in the tenth but too often he was swinging wildly and Dickens kept moving pinging May with quick jabs and May just could not land anything of note. Scores 97-91, 97-92 and 96-92 all for former British champion Dickens who wins the vacant IBF European title. His losses have come against Kid Galahad and Thomas Patrick Ward for the British super bantam title and Guillermo Rigondeaux for the WBA title. The win over May is his fifth on the bounce. May, 22, had won his last 17 fights and was IBF No 8(7). Dickens outboxed him here but at 23 he can come again.Murray vs. PavanitoMurray moves back up to super middle and gets an easy victory over limited Pavanito. Murray’s jab was too strong for the Portuguese fighter and he was able to control the action in every round. Murray never really had to engage a high gear but he did get some useful work. Pavanito was trying to come forward and Murray was content to let himdo so on occasions. Murray used his power to keep Pavanito trapped against the ropes and landed some meaty hooks to the body but did not press too hard. Pavanito landed some crisp uppercuts in the third and Murray hurt Pavanito with lefts to the body in the sixth and seventh and staggered him twice in the eighth as it began to look as though Murray was trying to finish the fight inside the distance. He had Pavanito in deep trouble in the ninth but the Portuguese fighter survived that and was still there at the final bell. Referee’s score 99-92 for Murray. There will be much tougher fights ahead for Murray. This was his first fight since losing to Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam in a WBC Silver middleweight title defence in December and there plenty of goods fights for him out there. Pavanito had won five moderate level fights going into this one. He took his lumps and never really threatened an upset.Flanagan vs. SeguFlanagan gets back into the winning groove with win over Tanzanian Segu. Flanagan was content to let Segu dance about prodding out left jabs but just before the bell when the Tanzanian rushed in Flanagan met him with a short left to the chin that put him down. Segu made it to his feet and although he took more punishment he defied Flanagan’s efforts to end the fight. Flanagan found the awkward rushing tactics of the Tanzanianwere making it difficult for him to land cleanly and he had to be careful as Segu was throwing himself forward head first. In the fourth Flanagan was anticipating Segu’s charges and connecting regularly with straight lefts. In the interval Segu sat head down and hardly even lifted his head so that his second had to thrust his mouthguard in his mouth. Segu then made no attempt to throw a punch but just backed into a corner with Flanagan hardly able to land a punch before Segu slumped to the canvas sitting resting with his back on the ropes and he made no move at all to try to rise so was counted out. After consecutive losses to Maurice Hooker and Regis Prograis last year the former WBO light champion has dropped out of the ratings so will be looking to get some wins under his belt and land a title shot. Segu was lightweight in terms of power and ability and took the easy way out.Maxwell vs. AmadorWBO European champion Maxwell was untroubled in this one. He was finding gaps with his jab and connecting with quick rights to the head. Just before the bell a stiff jab caught the advancing Amador and he went down. He arose quickly just as the bell sounded. In the second Amador aimed to get inside but walked onto a right hook that dropped him to his knees with his head touching the canvas and he stayed like that for the full count.Ten wins by KO/TKO for the Liverpool fighter. Sixth defeat by KO/TKO for Nicaraguan Amador and his 14th loss in a row.Hollywood, FL, USA: Welter: Derrick Cuevas (22-0-1) W PTS 10 Jesus Beltran (17-3-2). Heavy: Ivan Dychko (9-0) W KO 2 Nate Heaven (9-3).Cuevas vs. BeltranPuerto Rican hope Cuevas retained the WBA Fedelatin title with all three judges seeing him a clear winner with scores of 99-91 twice and 98-92. In winning his last 17 fights the 24-year-old from Guaynabo has worked his way through the usual suspects in Silverio Ortiz, Breidis Prescott, and Ed Paredes. Beltran had lost only one of his last 18 fights.Dychko vs. HeavenDychko makes it nine out of nine as he kayos Heaven in two rounds. Heaven was down twice with a booming right causing the second knockdown and ending the fight. The 28-year-old 6’9” Kazak has won all of his fights by KO/TKO taking less than 16 rounds in total. In the amateurs he won two silver medals and a bronze at the world championships and lost to Anthony Joshua in the semi-finals in the London Olympics. Heaven, 6’6” and 33-years-oldwas having his first fight four over four years but at 33 he is much younger that Dychko’s last two victims Maurice Harris at 43 and Ray Austin at 48 so need to get too excited over Dychko yet.Everett, MA, USA: Super Welter: Greg Vendetti (22-3-1) W PTS 12 Michael Anderson (17-3-1). Super Light: Luis Arcon (8-0) W KO 3 Mario Lozano (18-4-1).Vendetti vs. AndersonPopular local battler Vendetti wins a world title of sorts as he outpoints New Jersey’s Anderson to pick up the vacant IBA belt. Vendetti’s non-stop punching tactics were just too much for Anderson who could not match the phenomenal work rate of “The Villain”. Vendetti dominated every minute of every round with Anderson too busy defending to stage any meaningful offence of his own and by the end of the twelve rounds he was a battered and beaten man. The fight was so-one-sided that one of the judges saw a couple of round 10-8 even without a knock down. Scores 120-108 twice and 120-106 for Vendetti. He scored an important win over Japanese toughie Yoshihiro Kamegai in August last year and has lost only one of his last 18 fights. That was a stoppage against world rated Michel Soro in December and this is Vendetti’s second win since then. Anderson, 38, was having only his second fight in four years having been out of the ring from June 2015 until returning with a win in December last year.Arcon vs. LozanoArcon is just too good for this level of opposition. After hunting down Lozano in the first he ended the fight with a brutal kayo 70 seconds into the second. The 27-year-old Venezuelan has won his eight fights by KO/TKO taking less than 17 rounds in total. He was a silver medallist at the Pan American Championships and the South American Games, took a bronze at the Pan American Games and competed at the 2016 Olympics. Argentinian southpaw Lozano suffers his third inside the distance loss this year.Tacoma, WA, USA: Heavy: Jermaine Franklin (19-0) W PTS 10 Jerry Forrest (25-3). Heavy: Constantin Bejenaru (14-0,1ND) W TKO 6 Jose Corral. Super Feather: Giovanni Mioletti (17-0) W PTS 10 Luis Porozo (14-1). Feather: Eric Hunter (22-4) W TKO 5 German Meraz (62-57-2,1ND)Franklin vs. ForrestFranklin remains unbeaten with controversial split decision over Forrest. They started trading punches in a hectic first round with Franklin looking for another quick win and Forrest matching him punch for punch. The pace slowed in a close second with Franklin landing a good right. Forrest boxed cleverly in the third slotting home southpaw jabs and long lefts. Franklin was able to work Forrest over against the ropes in the fifth and they both landed well in the sixth. Franklin was attacking hard over the seventh and eighth but Forrest was slick and quick and changing angles. Franklin had a strong ninth. Forrest looked to be tiring and Franklin was landing well to the body and they both put in a big effort in the last. Scores 97-93 twice for Franklin and 96-95 for Forrest. The scores for Franklin looked too wide and the one for Forrest looked about right. Michigan’s Franklin, 25, rode his luck a little here but it was a good test and a good learning fight. Lafayette’s Forrest hadan 18-bout winning streak snapped but will consider himself unlucky to lose.Bejenaru vs. CorralNew York-based Moldovan Bejenaru stops Mexican Corral in a bout that was hastily cobbled together after BJ Flores was denied a licence on medical grounds and his fight with Otto Wallin was cancelled. Bejenaru quicklyshook of the dust from twenty months of inactivity and was soon landing some heavy shots on the slow and overmatched Corral. Bejenaru rocked Corral in the fourth and pounded on Corral all the way. A savage combination in the sixth had Corral in deep water and the fight was halted. The 30-year-old Bejenaru was high in the world ratings after wins over unbeaten Stivens Bujaj and Thabiso Mchunu before inactivity halted his climb. Although born in Moldova he boxed for Romania as anamateur winning national titles at 81 &91kg, competing at the 2005, 2007 and 2009 World championships and twice taking a silver medal at the European Union Championships. Now 35 he could not really afford that 20 months off. Corral, 38, is 1-6 in his last 7 fights.Miolettivs. PorozoThere was another former top level amateur in this fight but EcuadorianPorozo after making a good start then faded badly and lost the unanimous decision to Chicago southpaw Mioletti. Porozo brought his skills from the amateur days with him and outboxed Mioletti early. He was quick and smart and sliding punches through Mioletti’s guard. Mioletti pressed hard and shook Porozo with a left in the third. The Ecuadorian recovered and continued to box skilfully. Mioletti just kept pressing and eventually Porozo slowed and Mioletti was able to finish strongly to emerge a good winner. Scores 98-92 twice and 97-93 for Mioletti. It was the right result but the first two cards were harsh on Porozo. The 24-year-old Mioletti, a crowd favourite at the Battle on the Boat, is being matched sensibly. He had won his last four fights by KO/TKO but will have learned more from this fight than those other wins. Porozo, 29, competed for Ecuador at the 2008 Olympics, the 2007 and 2009 World Championships and the Pan American Games.Hunter vs. MerazAs with Bejenaru Hunter also had a thick coat of dust to disperse. Meraz with over 120 fights behind him was hustling and bustling early proving a more testing opponent than expected. Hunter eventually found the range and floored Meraz with left hook in the third. He continued to press Meraz hard over the fourth with the Mexican looked to haveadopted survival tactics. In the and fifth a banging together of heads saw Meraz cut over his left eye. The referee had the doctor examine the cut and he advised the fight be stopped. As it had gone past the fourth round it was decided on the scorecards with Hunter in front 50-44 on all three score sheets. First fight for Hunter since losing to Lee Selby in an IBF featherweight title challenge in April 2016. Meraz is 1-10 in his last 11 fights.July 13London. England: Heavy: Joe Joyce (10-0) W PTS 12 Bryant Jennings (24-4). Middle: Liam Williams (21-2-1) W TKO 2 Karim Achour (27-6-3). Heavy: Daniel Dubois (12-0) W TKO 5 Nathan Gorman (16-1). Super Feather: Archie Sharp (16-0) W PTS 10 Jordan McCrory (18-6-1). Super Fly: Sunny Edwards (12-0) W PTS 10 Hiram Gallardo (12-3-2).Joyce vs. JenningsImportant victory for Joyce who goes past the eighth round for the first time on his way to victory. Joyce made a confident start with some hefty jabs. Jennings then began to land with jabs and quick hooks inside. Joyce was looking slow and ponderous but nothing Jennings hit him with seemed to even register with Joyce. The next three rounds belonged to Joyce. He does not snap his jab but pushed it with a great deal of power behind it and he was using that, his strength and extra poundage to force Jennings to the ropes and score with long heavy lefts and rights The fifth was closer as Jennings moved more and threw more punches. Joyce was still swinging heavy punches which hurt wherever they landed but Jennings outscored him in the sixth and seventh. He was blocking many of Joyce’s punches and connecting with hooks and rights to the head but it was still a case that nothing he landed had any effect on Joyce who at times reminds one of George Foreman in his style and power. Joyce worked hard to take the eighth. He was walking forward pumping out lefts and rights and keeping Jennings on the back foot. Joyce again worked hard in the ninth throwing punches but Jennings came on late in the round. Joyce was looking arm weary and it was now a case that very little Joyce was landing was stopping Jennings moving forward. The tenth saw some good two-way action with Joyce connecting with powerful jabs and clubbing head punches and Jennings seeing out the storm and firing back. Late in the round a left from Jennings went low and the referee deducted a point although it looked harsh, however Jennings landed another low punch before the bell and was given a last warning. Joyce outworked Jennings in the eleventh and kept Jennings trapped on the ropes as he pounded away. Jennings was blocking most of the punches but not throwing any himself. Scores 118-109, 117-110 and 115-112 all for Joyce. I saw it 116-112 for Joyce. The two big pluses for Joyce, apart from the win, were that he went twelve rounds and that he beat a heavyweight who was not all washed up unlike Bermane Stiverne and Alex Ustinov. The downside is that he never had Jennings really hurt at any time in the fight whereas both Luis Ortiz and Oscar Rivas had stopped Jennings. Joyce’s only rating before this fight was No 14 with the WBC and Jennings was unrated. Joyce is the official challenger to European champion Agit Kabayel with the deadline for agreement or purse offers of 7 August. Kabayel is rated No 3 (2) with the IBF with only Kubrat Pulev ahead of him-the No 2 spot is vacant- so a win over Kabayel would put Joyce very close to a world title fight but Kabayel is 19-0 and has a win over Derrick Chisora. At 34 Jennings is not finished yet and there are a whole clutch of young heavyweights out there looking to get a name on their list of victims.Williams vs. AchourWilliams crushes Achour to win the vacant WBC Silver title. Williams had his jab working well in the opening round forced Achour onto the back foot landing with a hefty left hook to the body. Williams continued to come forward with Achour hiding behind a high guard and already looking to be in survival mode hardly throwing a punch. In the second Williams was firing hard jabs and testing the Frenchman’s guard with following rights. He took Achour to a corner and connect with body punches. Achour escaped from the corner but was caught with a powerful right hook and stumbled back before dropping to the canvas on his side. He made it to his feet only for punches from Williams sending him stumbling back to a corner and down for a second time. Achour got up but was finished and after the eight count the referee stopped the fight. The 27-year-old British champion from Wales now has 16 wins by KO/TKO. His two losses came in 2017 against Liam Smith the first on a cut and the second a majority decision. Up at middle now he looks a real threat. Achour, a former French, European Union and WBC International champion was 13-1-1 going into this one with the loss being on points to David Lemieux over twelve rounds in May last year. This is his first inside the distance defeat.Dubois vs. GormanDubois wins the vacant British title with stoppage of previously unbeaten Gorman. Dubois made a confident start coming forward behind quick jabs and connecting with some right crosses. Gorman was on the back foot looking to counter and landed a sharp uppercut inside. There were some furious exchanges in the second with Dubois landing some good rights one of which opened a cut over the left eye of Gorman. A series of clubbing rights in the third sent Gorman down on his knees and reopened the cut. After the count Gorman threw himself forward firing wild punches but Dubois took charge again and had Gorman under pressure to the bell. In a quieter fourth Dubois continued to stalk the retreating Gorman trying to open him up with the jab and landed rights crosses. Dubois staggered Gorman badly with a right early in the fifth and after good work with his jab put Gorman on the floor with a right to the head. Gorman made it to his feet but the referee stopped the fight. The 6’5” 21-year-old Londoner showed maturity and power here. He worked his openings with his jab, kept cool picking his moments to attack and then demonstrated why his nickname is “Dynamite” with some big rights. Gorman was never in with a chance. He was outboxed and outpunched with Dubois proving to be in a different class.Sharp vs. McCrorySharp floors and outpoints McCrory in WBO European title defence. Sharp scored in the first with a left hook then used his superior speed to get inside and land another good hook then ducked and weaved around McCrory's attempts to counter. Sharp was taller with a longer reach and quick hands and McCrory only really had any success on the occasions when he could catch Sharp on the ropes. Sharp also fitted in some very showy work but there was nothing showy about the left hook to the ribs that put McCrory down in the third. McCrory bent forward with his head touching the canvas and it looked as though the fight was over but the Scot got up and danced through the few seconds to the bell. McCrory had a good spell at the end of the fifth as he connected with some head shots as they stood and traded but other than the skills of Sharp were the deciding factor in the fight. Sharp switched guards seamlessly and rattled McCrory with hooks and uppercuts. McCrory tried to walk through the punches to force Sharp back but he was being showered with quick punches by Sharp who was able bob and weave around McCrory and then pop up and clout McCrory with counters on his way to a wide points victory. Scores 98-91 for Sharp on the three cards as he retains the WBO European title. That WBO European title gets Sharp a No 10 rating with the WBO. He has lots of talent but is in a tough division. McCrory has now lost three of his last four fights but the other two losses have been against 29-2 Patrick Kinigamazi for the WBFederation title and unbeaten Sam Bowen for the British title.Edwards vs. GallardoEdwards breezes past crude Mexican Gallardo. Edwards was able to slot jabs through the Mexican’s poor defence and connect with counters as Gallardo piled forward head down. Gallardo was on the floor in the second but it looked as though he slipped after missing with a punch but it resulted in an eight count. Edwards was comfortable boxing either orthodox or southpaw. His jabs were too quick for Gallardo to block and his foot speed allowed Edwards to dart inside to score and then get out of range before Gallardo could counter. Gallardo kept lunging forward but he was too crude to pose any threat to Edwards, The downside is that Edwards never had Gallardo in any trouble and never looked close to stopping him. Scores three times 99-90 for Edwards. He is the younger brother of WBC champion Charlie and will be aiming to become the second world champion in the family but super fly is a very strong division. Gallardo is the WBC Youth silver champion but to put that in context his defence of that title in March was against a fighter who had never previously had a pro fight.Minneapolis, MN, USA: Welter: Jamal James (26-1) W PTS 10 Antonio De Marco (33-8-1). Heavy: Gerald Washington (20-3-1) W KO 8 Robert Helenius (28-3). Welter: Bryant Perrella (18-2) W TKO 3 Dominique Dolton (22-3-1). Heavy: Charles Martin (27-2-1) W TKO 4 Daniel Martz (18-7-1). Bantam: Gary Antonio Russell (14-0) W PTS 10 Francisco Pedroza (13-9-2). Light: Carlos Balderas (9-0) W TKO 7 Robert Frankel ( 37-22-1). Super Light: Gary Antuanne Russell (10-0) W KO 3 Larry Ventus (9-14-1).James vs. De MarcoFighting in his home city James outpoints De Marco over ten tough, entertaining rounds. James had height and reach on his side and De Marco had his experience and his southpaw stance going for him. James was the aggressor in the first pinning De Marco to the ropes early and firing a burst of punches. Late in the round with De Marco backed into a corner they both threw plenty of punches with James getting the better of the trading. De Marco changed tactics in the second coming forward and forcing James to the ropes and clobbering him with overhand rights. James fired back and for the rest of the round both fighters were letting their hands fly in an exciting melee. De Marco had taken that round but sanity returned in the third and fourth as James boxed on the outside with De Marco chasing. He had some success when he was able to get close but James was monopolising the scoring. The pace slowed in the fifth with James using his jab to keep De Marco out and landing hurtful rights to the head. James let himself be dragged back into a brawl in the sixth with De Marco connecting with some rib-bending right hooks. They went to war again in the seventh but this time it was James connecting with the better punches. A hard right drove De Marco back and at the end of the round De Marco had swellings under both eyes. It was brawl time again in the eighth and James was throwing more and landing more but with De Marco connecting with some corrosive hooks and uppercuts. James was on his bicycle in the ninth moving around the slower De Marco back peddling for much of the time but scoring with his jab and short bursts of punches. De Marco was so exhausted in the tenth that a left jab sent him reeling across the ring and down but the referee decided it was not a knockdown. They both fought fiercely to the last bell with James pounding on De Marco at the end. It had been tough, gruelling and exciting fight and it was great to see the two fighters showing so much respect for each other as they embraced at the end. Scores 98-92 for James on the three cards. The scores were correct but could not reflect the way that De Marco made James fight so hard for every point. The 32-year-old James is tall for a welter at 6’2” and has good hand and foot speed and some power. His only defeat is a points decision against Yordenis Ugas in 2016 and he has registered victories over Ionut Dan Ion, Diego Chaves, Mahonri Montes and now De Marco. He is handily placed at WBA 5/WBC 11/IBF 13 (12) but probably needs a win over a rated fighter to put himself in line for a title chance. Former WBC lightweight champion De Marco, 33, is slower and fleshier than at his peak and falls to 2-5 in his last 7 fights but all of the losses have been to world class opposition.Helenius vs. WashingtonWashington outlasts Helenius for an eighth round victory. Helenius controlled the early action with his longer reach .Washington was having trouble getting past the jab of Helenius and when he did get past it Helenius was countering him with sharp rights. The Finn hurt Washington with a couple of rights late in the third but Washington stepped up his pace in the fourth landing some good jabs and long rights. The pace of the fight was slow and the rounds were close. Helenius took the fifth and sixth with some strong jabs with Washington landing some quick punches inside early in the seventh as Helenius was looking exhausted. It was a tired man’s fight in the eighth until Washington connected with a right cross that shook Helenius, Washington then threw a bunch of hooks that sent Helenius staggering across the ring and down on his back with his head resting on the bottom rope. The referee started the count but with Helenius in some distress he waived the fight over. The 37-year-old Washington was level on two cards before being stopped by Deontay Wilder in a WBC title fight in 2017 but inside the distance defeats at the hands of Jarrell Miller and Adam Kownacki had banished him from the ratings and this fight was one he could not afford to lose. Swedish-born Helenius has lost only three fights but they have been critical to his career. He was knocked in six rounds by Johann Duhaupas and lost a decision to Dillian Whyte when winning either fight could have led to a world title shot but with this loss that dream has died.Perrella vs. DoltonFloridian Perrella continues along his switchback ways as he stops Dolton in what looked a very even match on paper. Both fighters were quick off the mark Dolton snapping out jabs and southpaw Perrella not as quick but more accurate and Perrella was the one connecting. Having been on the back foot in the first Perrella began taking the fight to Dolton in the second. He was using lots of right hooks and switching his attack to head and body. He connected with a powerful left hook which sent Dolton staggering to the ropes but the bell went before he could capitalise on that. Perrella jumped on Dolton at the start of the third pinning him against the ropes and firing hooks and uppercuts. Dolton tried to fight his way off the ropes but Perrella kept unloading until the referee steeped in a halted the contest. After winning his first fourteen fights Perrella then lost to Yordenis Ugas, beat Alex Martin then dropped a majority verdict against Luis Collazo but it was an upswing for him here his 14th win by KO/TKO. Dolton has lost swing fights against Justin DeLoach and Jamontay Clark but had won his last three fights by KO/TKO.Martin vs. MartzMartin a few classes above Martz and gets an inside the distance win. In the first southpaw Martin was much quicker than the lumbering Martz and was able to slot home right jabs to head and body and was on target with occasional lefts. Martin’s punches caused a big bruise to grow under the right eye of Martz in the second but Martz managed to land a couple of clubbing rights . Martin began to find the range in the third connecting with long lefts to the head of Martz. Just seconds into the fourth a left to the head from Martin had Martz backing up and then going down on one knee. Martz was up at nine but when he tried to take the fight to Martin he was caught with three head punches and then a left to the body and dropped to one knee again. He got up at eight but did not complain when the referee waived his arms to end the fight. The 33-year-old former IBF champion has a rebuilding job on his hands after losing a close decision to Adam Kownacki in September and this is another very small step on the road back. The 6’7 ½” Martz loses badly whenever he tries to step up. Russell vs. PedrozaJust a light workout for the talented Russell as he wins every round against young Mexican Pedroza. Scores 100-90 for Russell from the three judges. The 26-year-old is the middle brother of the three Gary Russells fighting pro and is the only one of the three not to go to the Olympics. He is being over-protected and is ready for better opposition. Pedroza, 25, is really just a prelim level fighter.Balderas vs. FrankelFormer Olympian Balderas continues to knock the opposition over and moves to eight wins inside the distance with stoppage of seasoned pro Frankel. It is the first time the 23-year-old Californian has had to go past the fourth round for victory so some useful ring time against Frankel. Balderas gained entry to the 2016 Olympics through his record in the World Series of Boxing so did not have to go through the Trials but he lost in the quarter-finals in Rio to Cuban star Lazaro Alvarez. Frankel, 39; was a replacement and a much tougher opponent than the guy he replaced but now often finds himself in the role of a late notice fighter brought in to face a rising young prospect.Russell vs. VentusIt is now ten fights and ten wins by KO/TKO for Russell. He blasted out Detroit’s Ventus with three knockdowns before the fight was stopped late in the third round. The 23-year-old Maryland southpaw, the younger brother of both WBC feather champion Gary and Gary Antonio Russell. Gary Antuanne was National Golden Gloves champion and competed at the 2016 Olympics. His ten wins have taken him less than 19 rounds. Ventus drops to six defeats by KO/TKO.Newark, NJ, USA: Bantam: Joshua Greer (21-1-1) W PTS 12 Nikolai Potapov (20-2-1). Feather: Shakur Stevenson (12-0) W KO 3 Alberto Guevara (27-5). Super Middle: Vijender Singh (11-0) W TKO 4 Mike Snider (13-6-3,1ND). Light Joseph Adorno (13-0)W KO 2 Adriano Ramirez (10-4). Super Light: Julian Rodriguez (17-0) W KO 1 Hevinson Herrera (24-18-1).Greer vs. PotapovGreer gats majority decision over Potapov with more heat being generated by the decision than the actual fight. Potapov seemed to go in front over the opening three rounds but Greer clawed his way back into the fight forcing Potapov back with some strong jabs and straight rights. The six was close as first Potapov and then Greer had good spells but the crowd was getting restive over the low tempo of the fight. The seventh was also close but Potapov had done the better work. The crowd was booing again as neither fighter really seemed to be ready to take chances. The closer rounds had been going to Potapov but Greer came on strong over the closing rounds to make it tight but with most feeling Potapov had done enough to win. Scores 116-112 and 115-113 for Greer and 114-114. With the No 2 place in the IBF ratings vacant Greer No 4 qualified to fill that spot by beating Potapov who was rated No 11. With IBF champion Naoya Inoue engaged in the WBSS final and Filipino Michael Dasmarinas No 1 Greer will probably have to wait until 2020 to get his title shot. Brooklyn-based Russian Potapov lost to on a seventh round retirement against Omar Narvaez in October 2017 but somehow found his way into the IBF top 15 in September 2018 with his only fight after the loss to Narvaez being over a guy with an 11-45-3 record in a fight in which Potapov weighed 130 ¼ lbs! He was an even more surprising No 3 with the WBO so may drop down their list.Stevenson vs. GuevaraFighting in his home city Stevenson crushes a reluctant Guevara inside three rounds. Guevara had only one gear in the opener and it was reverse. Stevenson prowled after the experienced Mexican occasionally landing with long southpaw lefts but was unable to bring Guevara to trade punches. Guevara tried some lunging attacks in the second but Stevenson easily evaded them and then got throught with a couple of punches with Guevara briefly trapped on the ropes. Stevenson then stepped in and connected with a straight left to the body and a right to the side that had Guevara sliding gown to the canvas. He was up quickly but after the count a right from Stevenson put him down again. Guevara was up at eight and the round was over. Stevenson was doing some show-boating as he pursued Guevara in the third. Guevara was given some rest time after a left from Stevenson landed low but then Stevenson caught Guevara with three head punches that sent the Mexican tumbling to the floor. Guevara arose just as the referee counted ten and there was no real conviction in Guevara’s protest that he had beaten the count. The 22-year-old Olympic silver medallist retains the WBO NABO title with his seventh win by KO/TKO. He is No 1 with both the WBO and WBA so is the mandatory challenger for both Leo Santa Cruz and Oscar Valdez but probably needs another two or three fights before going against either champion. Guevara, 28, has had shots at both the IBF and WBC titles at bantam but was coming off a loss against Hugo Ruiz in January and was never in this fight and looked a beaten man from the first bell but then he came in as a substitute at eight days notice.Singh vs. SniderIndian Singh returns to the ring with a stoppage over Snider. After taking a round to dust off his skills Singh landed a right in the second which sent Snider into the ropes but Snider did not go down. Singh dominated the second and third and was beating on Snider in the fourth when the referee halted the fight. The 33-year-old Singh competed at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics winning a bronze medal in 2008. As an amateur he recorded wins over Badou Jack, Terrell Gausha and Ron Gavril. This is his first fight since December 2017 and he may struggle to make an impact now. Fourth loss by KO/TKO for 38-year-old Snider.Adorno vs. RamirezAdorno bangs out Ramirez in two rounds. The New Jersey-born Adorno took the first with some quick accurate jabbing and then put Ramirez away in the second. A left hook floored Ramirez for the first knockdown and although he made it to his feet he was clobbered by stunning left hook and then a left-right combination that sent him down and the referee stopped the fight with bothering with a count. The 20-year-old prospect makes it eleven wins by KO/TKO. He turned pro at 17 and is an outstanding talent. Third loss in a row for Dominican Ramirez.Rodriguez vs. HerreraIn his first fight for almost two years “Hammer Hands” Rodriguez finds his punch again as he blasts out seasoned pro Herrera. A right to the chin put the Colombian down and although he made it to one knee he was counted out at the one minute mark. The New Jersey hope, a former National Golden Gloves champion, put together a run of eight wins inside the distance but then had to go the distance for his next three victories. He was then out of action due to a shoulder injury. This is his seventh first round victory. Herrera falls to 2-6 in his last 8 bouts.Antibes, Francs: Heavy: Tony Yoka (6-0) W TKO 3 Alex Dimitrenko (41-6). Bantam: Elie Konki (7-0) W PTS 10 Sebastian Jacobs (4-2-1). Super Welter: Souleymane Cissokho (10-0) W KO 4 Jose Carlos Paz (23-10-1). Super Welter: Ahmed El Mousaoui (30-3-1) W PTS 8 Alex Sharonov (12-4-2).Yoka vs. DimitrenkoYoka returns after a one year suspension for ducking the testers three times and stops Dimitrenko. A nothing first round saw both fighters just pushing out jabs with no power or conviction and usually coming up short and not throwing anything except jabs. Yoka showed more purpose in the second trying to come in behind his jab and punch to the body. He forced Dimitrenko back and connected with a couple of hooks and uppercuts. Dimitrenko was throwing very little and mainly just moving on the back foot to avoid Yoka’s punches. After a cautious start to the third Yoka stepped inside and landed a right cross and then used the same hand to connect with an uppercut with Dimitrenko dropping to his knees. Dimitrenko only just beat the count. When the action resumed Yoka landed three rights to the head with Dimitrenko spinning round and collapsing over the top rope and almost tipping out of the ring as the referee stopped the fight. Fifth win by KO/TKO for 6’7” Frenchman a gold medal winner in Rio who scored wins over unbeaten pros Joe Joyce, Fillip Hrgovic and Ivan Dychko when in the amateurs. Dimitrenko, 37, suffers his third inside the distance loss in a row and the punches that finished him here did not look that great. Officially he was under suspension until October from the California Commission on the basis of a possible fractured shoulder suffered when losing to Andy Ruiz in April. However the suspension was either until October or until, cleared by a physician so I would have thought by passing the doctor’s medical check for this fight he was effectively cleared by a physician.Konki vs. Iacobas“The Spider” Konki makes a successful second defence of the French title with unanimous decision over former undefeated champion Iacobas, The 27-year-old Konki, one the best French prospects in the lighter divisions, was a six-time national champion in the amateurs and competed at the 2016 Olympics. Iacobas won the French title in April last year but never defended it and this is his first fight since then.Cissokho vs. PazAnother outstanding display by Cissokho sees him crush Argentinian Paz in four rounds. A left and a right to the side of the head floored Paz in the first and he was never in the fight after that. Solid jabs kept Cissokho in control and Pazwas just soaking up punishment. Cissokho was also connecting with wicked body punches which quickly drained away the Argentinian’s resolve. He was shaken by an uppercut in the third and almost cut in half by a body punch. In the fifth as Paz tried to fight his way off the ropes he was forced back and another body punch had Paz dropping to his knees in pain and he was counted out even the towel came flying in from Paz’s corner. The Senegalese-born Olympic bronze medallist registers his seventh win by KO/TKO and looks ready to start collecting some belts. Paz had scored wins over Omar Chavez and Jorge Paez Jr, was beaten by Jaime Munguia and Anthony Fowler but only lost on a split decision against Ramon Alvarez.El Mousaoui vs. SharonovEl Mousaoui comes in at short notice as a replacement for injured Cedric Vitu and outpoints the tough but limited Sharonov. El Mousaoui rocked the Russian a few times with right crosses and some searing uppercuts but could not find a punch to end things. Sharonov lost a point in the third for a low punch and battled hard but El Mousaoui was just too good for him. Scores 80-71 twice and 79-73. The 29-year-old former EU champion had been re-thinking his career after losses to Jeff Horn and Ceferino Rodriguez but after eleven months of contemplation and with a win under his belt will be aiming to get back in to contention for the EU or EBU titles.Ladispoli, Italy: Heavy: Luca D’Ortenzi (10-1) W TKO 8 Sergio Romano (10-13-3).Local boxer D’Ortenzi wins the vacant Italian title with stoppage of Romano. Over the first two rounds “Gentleman” D’Ortenzi found plenty of space and outboxed “Wild Boar” Romano. In the third Romano pressed harder and cut down D’Ortenzi’s space getting inside and working well. The fight was close over the fourth and fifth but in the sixth D’Ortenzi rockedRomano with punches and then had him in deep trouble with a left hook. Romano made it to the bell although taking more punishment and he fought his way through the seventh. D’Ortenzi wrote the final chapter in the eighth. A heavy right stunnedRomano and although he stayed upright another booming punch had the referee stepping in to save Romano. D’Ortenzi, 21, lost a close verdict to Salvatore Erittu for the Italian cruiser title in July last year and at 6’1” and under 210lbs he is small by today’s heavyweight standards. Romano was having his second shot at this title having been beaten on points by Fabio Turchi also in July last year.Kingston, Jamaica: Heavy: Vladimir Tereshkin (21-0-1) W RTD 8 Williams Ocando (21-9). Light: Headley Scott (14-1) W PTS 8 Jesus Laguna (22-16-3).Tereshkin vs. OcandoRussian southpaw Tereshkin towered over cruiserweight Ocampo and had about 50lbs weight advantage. Tereshkin was able to use his height and longer reach to work Ocando over at distance. Ocando showed some good head movement as he duck around and under Tereshkin's jabs but he was too small to be really competitive. Tereshkin was able to force Ocando to the ropes and batter away to head and body. It was never anything but a lost cause for Ocando and he did not come out for the ninth round. The 6’6” Russian has won his last 13 fights by KO/TKO but no real tests in his list of victims. Venezuelan Ocando loses whenever he gets adventurous over his opposition and this is his eighth defeat by KO/TKO.Scott vs. LagunaScott, born in New York but a Rastafarian of Jamaican decent, hustled, bustled and bullied Laguna all the way taking every round with the judges all scoring the fight 80-72 for Scott. His loss was a stoppage against unbeaten Giovanni Mioletti in November and this is his third win since then. Laguna drops to Rosarito, Mexico: Middle; Luis Ramon Campas (108-17-3) W RTD 5 Alexis Canett (12-3-2).Former IBF light middle champion “Yori Boy” Campas makes one of his rare appearances and grinds down inexperienced Canett. Campus just kept working the body of Canett. For a few rounds Canett was able to stand his ground and work inside with Campas but by the fifth he was exhausted and could hardly lift his arms and retired at the end of the round. Now 47 Campas has scored 82 wins by KO/TKO. It is now 32 years since he had his first pro fight. Canett just an inexperienced prelim level fighter.Tonala, Mexico: Super Light: Gabriel Valenzuela (18-2-1) W KO 4 Nery Saguilan (39-13-1).Valenzuela pushes a sliding Saguilan a bit further down the hill with a fourth round kayo. Valenzuela was on the attack from the start and scoring strongly to head and body. Saguilan tried to punch with him but was getting the worse of the exchanges. In the fourth a straight right crashed into the head of Saguilan and put him down and out. Valenzuela a 24-year-old from Guadalajara wins the vacant WBC Fecarbox title his first title as a pro. He extends his unbeaten run to 16 contests with his eleventh win by KO/TKO. The eccentric 31-year-old Saguilan was once flying high in the ranking but is now 2-8 in his last 10 fights.Managua, Nicaragua: Super Light: Francisco Fonseca (25-2-1) W TKO 7David Bency (14-11-1,1ND). Light: Freddy Fonseca (26-3-1) W Moises Olivas (14-13).Fonseca vs. BencyFonseca wears down and halts Bency. For the first two rounds the bigger Bency managed to hold his own against the powerful body punches of Fonseca. That was as good as it was going to get for gutsy Bency and from the third Fonseca slowly cut him down piling on the punishment until Bency was struggling in the seventh and the referee stepped in over Bency’s protests. Fonseca went 19-0-1 in his first 20 fights until knocked out in eight rounds by Gervonta Davis in a fight for the vacant IBF super feather title in 217. Davis failed to make the weight which is why the fight was for the vacant title. Fonseca had a second shot at the IBF title in December last year but lost on points against Tevin farmer. He has scored three inside the distance wins this year. Bency, really a super-light, now has four losses by KO/TKO.Fonseca vs. OlivasSouthpaw Freddy makes it a family double as he stops Olivas. Fonseca put Olivas down in the fourth and was punishing Olivas in the fifth when the fight was halted. In his last fight in May Fonseca was stopped in seven rounds by Joseph Diaz in a fight for the vacant WBA Gold title. Fonseca had kayoed Olivas in two rounds in May last year.Boquete, Panama: Feather: Bryan De Gracia (25-2-1) W RTD 1 Daniel Diaz (23-9-2).Super Fly: Luis Concepcion (38-8) W KO 4 Felix Moncada (9-11-1).De Gracia vs. DiazPanamanian De Gracia brushes aside Nicaraguan Diaz with ease. The hard-punchingDe Gracia floored Diaz twice. He also opened a gash on the left side of the visitor’s cheek and Diaz retired before the start of the second round. The 25-year-old “The Rock” blew any chance of a title shot this year when he was stopped in nine rounds by 21-1-3 Eduardo Ramirez in March but at 25 the chance will come again. This is win No 21 by KO/TKO for him. Diaz, 35, has been thrown in over his head quite a few times and suffered losses in the USA, Mexico and the Philippines.Concepcion vs. MoncadaConcepcion, a former holder of the secondary WBA fly and super fly titles, is given a gift in the shape of late substitute Moncada. After a slow start Concepcion punched too hard for the Nicaraguan. He got away with some questionable body punching before putting Moncada down in the fourth with a body punch-which Moncada complained was low-and that ended the fight. A necessary win for the 33-year-old Panamanian following consecutive losses to unbeaten fighters Andrew Moloney and Alex Marin. Sixth loss in a row for Moncada.Conroe, TX, USA: Light Heavy: Alfonso Lopez (31-3) W RTD 4 Alex Theran (21-4).Texan Lopez wins the vacant WBO NABO title with win over Colombian Theran. The 37-year-old Texan is in his twelfth year as a pro and with this title and nine wins in a row he may find himself in the WBO ratings. Once a star of the Colombian amateur scene Theran went 17-1 at the start of his time as a pro but inside the distance losses to Tureano Johnson and Radivoje Kalajdzic have blunted his ambitions. Ekaterinburg, Russia: Super Feather: Muhammadkhuja Yaqubov (14- ) W KO 2 Jhon Gemino (20-12-1).Yaqubov crushes Filipino Gemino with a devastating body punch. Yaqubov pressed hard in the first but Gemino managed to avoid any real trouble. In the second Yaqubov landed two good southpaw lefts to the body and then drove home a third that sent Gemino to the floor in agony. He rolled around and then lay face down on the canvas and never looked likely to make it to his feet. Tajikistan southpaw Yaqubov, 24, is WBC International champion and rated No 13 by that body. This is his ninth win by KO/TKO and he looks very useful. Gemino had won his last three fights including a victory in Japan and a win over 22-1 Carlos Ornelas in Mexico so he looked capable of testing Yaqubov until that body punch landed. Cordoba, Argentina: Middle: Francisco Torres (13-3) W PTS 10 Jonathan Sanchez (15-4-1).Torres outpoints Sanchez to win the “Copa Carlos Monzon Super 8” tournament. This was an even fight over the first four rounds but then Torres took control and dominated the action. He outboxed Sanchez and stayed cool despite Sanchez’s using his elbows and employing his head as a third fist. The skill, movement and counter-punching of Torres hovered up the rounds and a frustrated Sanchez was lucky only to suffer one deduction for a butt in the sixth. Scores 98-92 twice and 97-92. Torres also wins the vacant Argentinian title. He was very much an outsider when this Tournament started but he beat two of the favourite’s Alan Castano and Gonzalo Coria on the way to the final so deserved to emerge the winner. Sanchez had won his last three fights.Toowoomba, Australia: Light: Gaige Ireland (7-3-2) W TKO 4 Brent Rice (8-2). Ireland regains the Australian lightweight title with stoppage win over Rice. The stoppage was due to a cut above the right eye of Rice. Ireland had lost the title to Jacob Ng in his first defence in December. Former Australian super feather champion Rice had dropped his national title in his second defence in November.Fight of the week (Significance): Tony Yoka’s stoppage of Alex Dimitrenko was a big result for French boxing and there are some good young fighters there who can fly on his coattails Fight of the week (Entertainment): Marcus Morrison vs. Emanuele Blandamura was action all the way with honourable mention to Jamal James vs. Antonio De MarcoFighter of the week: I go for Ronny Rios for his win over Diego De La Hoya with honourable mention to Daniel Dubois for his crushing victory over Nathan GormanPunch of the week:Marcus Morrison’s right hook that put away Emanuele Blandamura was special and the body punch from Muhammadkhuja Yaqubov that finished Jhon Gemino was devastatingUpset of the week: Joe Noynay beating highly touted Olympian Satoshi Shimizu was a big surprise as was Roger Gutierrez destroying 28-0 Eduardo Hernandez inside a round.Prospect watch: Featherweight Loreto Dlamini 13-1was a revelation in beating Dave Penalosa and Joseph Adorno 13-0 again showed his KO power and is a lightweight to watch.The Past Week in Action 17 July 2019Highlights:-Ryota Murata regains the secondary WBA middle title with second round stoppage of Rob Brant-Ken Shiro destroys Jonathan Taconing in WBC light fly title defence-Rey Vargasoutpoints Tomoki Kameda in WBC super bantam title defence-Amir Khan stops Dilly Dib in Saudi Arabia and in other bouts in Jeddah Michell Banquez wins vacant IBO bantam title with points victory over unbeaten Prince Patel and South African Loreto Dlamini wins the vacant WBC International Silver feather belt with points victory over Dave Penalosa-In heavyweight action Daniel Dubois knocks out Nathan Gorman in five rounds in clash of unbeaten English fighters, Joe Joyce outpoints Bryant Jennings for the WBO Gold title, Tony Yoka returns to the ring and stops Alex Dimitrenko in three rounds, Gerald Washington knocks out Robert Helenius in eight rounds, Hughie Fury stops Samuel Peter in seven and Charles Martin stops Daniel Martz in four.-James Dickens, Martin Murray and Terry Flanagan win in Liverpool-Ronny Rios ends the unbeaten run of Diego De La Hoya and there are wins for Shakur Stevenson, Vijender Singh, Marcus Morrison, Liam Williams, Joet Gonzalez and Joshua Greer WORLD TITLE SHOWSJuly 12Osaka, Japan: Middle: Ryota Murata (12-2) W TKO 2 Rob Brant (25-2). Light Fly: Ken Shiro 16-0) W TKO 4 Jonathan Taconing (28-4-1).Super Feather: Joe Noynay (18-2-1) WTKO 6 Satoshi Shimizu (8-1).Murata vs. BrantSometimes Murata is Dr Jekyll and sometimes Mr Hide. This time it was the good doctor who turned up and destroyed Bent in two rounds to regain the secondary WBA title.Round 1Brant went straight to work firing jabs and straight rights with Murata just covering up. Brant then went onto the back foot countering the advancing Murata and with less than a minute gone Murata’s face was red from Brant’s punches. Murata had thrown too few punches in losing his title to Brant but now he began to let fly with purpose. Brant continued to outpunch Murata but Murata was connecting with some heavy rights to the head. As they traded before the bell it was Murata landing the heavier artillery but Brant’s early work just gave him the roundScore: 10-9 BrantRound 2 Brant was snapping out jabs and landing short hooks but Murata was walking through the punches. A left to the body and a right to the head rocked Brant who was suddenly floundering as Murata connected with more heavy head shots until once again a left to the body and a right to the head sent Brant tumbling to the ropes. Brant tried to cover up but Murata drove him along the ropes. Brant reversed direction and tried to get off the ropes but was blasted with punches until trapped in a corner and a series of punches saw Brant tumble down to the canvas. He was up quickly but after the eight count Murata plastered Brant with punch after punch. The referee was about to step in a couple of times but Brant threw an occasional punch so the referee gave him a little more time but hooks and uppercuts from Murata had Brant stumbling badly and this time the referee did stop the fight. Murata, 33, had hardly put up a fight when losing the title to Brant in October Brant won then by ten points on two cards and eight on the third. This was a totally different Murata a fierce and focused fighter who just blew Brant away. It was the same when Murata lost to Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam for the vacant title in May 2017 and then halted N’Jikam in October 2017. Whether Jekyll or Hide turn up he is no match for Saul Alvarez, Demetrius Andrade, Gennady Golovkin or Jermall Charlo. Brant, 28, fought way above expectations when beating Murata and I can’t see him raising his game enough to compete in this very tough division.Shiro vs. TaconingShiro makes a successful sixth defence of the WBC title with stoppage of a game but outclassed Filipino Taconing Round 1Shiro used his longer reach to keep Taconing on the end of his jab early when Taconing managed to bundle his way inside Shiro tied him up. Taconing tried to get under the jab but Shiro began to connect with straight rights at distance and landed right uppercuts as southpaw Taconing tried to come forward. Shiro shoved Taconing backwards to the canvas at the bell but it was not a knockdown.Score: 10-9 ShiroRound 2Shiro was boxing beautifully. Quick movement, sharp accurate jabs and crisp uppercuts. Taconing continued to march forward but Shiro was too mobile and was again scoring with right uppercuts.Score 10-9 ShiroShiro 20-18Round 3As Taconing lunged in Shiro met him with a perfectly timed right uppercut. Taconing was rocked and Shiro exploded with a series of lefts and rights. Taconing survived that crisis but Shiro was still planting rights on the Filipino’s head and was happy to stand and trade. A clash of heads shook Taconing and opened a vertical gash over his right eye. The doctor was asked to inspect the injury and allowed the fight to continue. The referee deducted a point from Shiro* under the WBC rule that if there is a cut in a clash of heads the boxer who is not cut loses a point. Taconing attacked fiercely but Shiro was still slotting home rights.Score 9*-9Shiro 29-27Round 4Taconing stormed forward in the fourth but was walking onto hard counters. Shiro began to drive forward landing inside. Taconing fought back and as he moved forward he was nailed with a right to the head that dropped him to his knees. He climbed up immediately but was unsteady and with blood trickling from the cut and from his nose the referee had seen enough and stopped the fight.Shiro “The Amazing Boy” gets his ninth win by KO/TKO. He does not look a puncher but that is deceptive as the speed and accuracy of his punches together with the fact the his opponents tend to throw themselves forward trying to get past his jab has a cumulative effect as he showed here. The light flyweight division is not a strong one at this time so he may have to move up to be really tested. Taconing gave it his best shot but he never found a way to get inside and paid the price for his lunging attacks. This is his third shot at the WBC light fly title but he is a tough fighter with a good record and would have a better chance at one of the other three versions of the title. Noynay vs. ShimizuThe Japanese fans were expecting to make it three out of three for the home fighters but Filipino Noynay scuppered those hopes as he batters the unbeaten former Olympian Shimizu in an all-southpaw contest. It was almost over inside the first three minutes. Shimizu stumbled after a southpaw left clipped his head and then he was staggered by a right jab. Shimizu then seemed to settle using his own right jab until a left to the head sent him stumbling back and he put his gloves on the canvas to avoid going down. After the count Noynay was connecting with hooks inside and then a left hook to the chin floored Shimizu hard. He was up at four and after the eight with almost one minute left in the round Shimizu wrestled Noynay to the floor landing on top of the |Filipino and then ran and held to the bell. It did not get much better in the second as Noynay rocked Shimizu three times with lefts to the head but Shimizu had a good third being on the front foot and looking to have Noynay on shaky legs. The fourth was Noynay’s as he battered Shimizu with right jabs and hooks inside. Shimizu was now showing swelling around his eyes. In a brutal fifth even though much the smaller man with the shorter reach Noynay was landing hurtful jabs and left hooks with Shimizu looking to have no defence against them. In the sixth Noynay was again getting through with heavy punches. The referee stopped the fight and had the doctor examine the swelling around Shimizu’s eyes but allowed the fight to continue. Noynay landed a series of punches and Shimizu turned away from the action and started to walk to his corner. With no indication the referee had stopped the fight Noynay pursued Shimizu and knocked him down but the referee stepped in accepting Shimizu’s surrender. “Jaw Breaker” Noynay, the WBO No 6, retains his WBO Asia Pacific title in his fifth defence and gets his seventh win by KO/TKO. The 33-year-old Shimizu looked terrible. He showed no real power and very little punch resistance. Big things were hoped for as he won a bronze medal at the 2012 beating Isaac Dogboe before losing to Luke Campbell in the semi-finals. He will have hurt his reputation by surrendering in the middle of a round. July 12Carson, CA, USAL Super Bantam: Rey Vargas (34-0) W PTS 12 Tomoki Kameda (36-3). Super Bantam: Ronny Rios (31-3) W TKO 6 Diego De La Hoya (21-1,1ND). Feather: Joet Gonzalez (23-0) W TKO 6 Manuel Avila (23-2-1). Welter: Alexis Rocha (14-0) W TKO 8 Berlin Abreu (14-3). Super Feather: Roger Gutierrez (22-3-1) W TKO 1 Eduardo Hernandez (28-1).Vargas vs. KamedaVargas makes a fifth successful defence of his WBC title as he proves too quick and too tall for Kameda who pressed hard all the way but never came to terms with the champions physical advantages.Round 1As usual in a Vergas title defence his big advantage in reach dictated the tactics. Vargas was on the back foot moving and jabbing with Kameda taking quick steps forward behind a double jab trying to get close. The challenger did land one good right cross but Vargas was scoring with his jab and an occasional right.Score: 10-9 Vargas.Round 2Excellent round from Vargas. After Kameda managed to pin him to a corner and land a couple of punches the rest of the round belonged to Vargas. Apart from the perennial left jab he was digging left hooks to the body and using the same punch to counter Kameda as he charged forward. Vargas chose to stand and trade for a few seconds and landed a flashing combination.Score: 10-9 VargasVargas 20-18Round 3Kameda needed to be on the front foot to win this but Vargas was making that impossible. The champion was following his jab with hooks from both hands rocking Kameda back on his heels and when Kameda came forward he was met either with a counter or was chasing a shadow.Score: 10-9 VargasVargas 30-27Round 4Vargas took this one but he was not as dominant. Kameda was pressing harder and had some success along the ropes landing a three-punch combination to the head but Vargas was scoring consistently with his jab and left hooks to the body.Score: 10-9 VargasVargas 40-36Official Scores: Judge Lou Moret 39-37 Vargas, Judge Kevin Scott 39-37 Vargas, Judge Zachary Young 40-36 VargasRound 5Kameda was still chasing Vargas down but without success. With his huge stride length and quick footwork Vargas was able to get away from trouble with ease and then step back in rage quickly with a burst of punches and connected with some hard rights to the head.Score: 10-9 VargasVargas 50-35Round 6Kameda managed to land two crisp left hooks in this one but again he was being kept on the end of the champion’s jab and running into hooks and uppercuts as he leapt forward. The pace was ferocious with Kameda chasing hard but Vargas was in control. Score: 10-9 VargasVargas 60-54Round 7Kameda stood off in this one inviting Vargas to come forward. That was to the champion’s liking as he was able to thread jabs through Kameda’s guard and follow those with some strong right crosses. Eventually Kameda changed tactics but was swinging wildly and leaving himself open to counters.Score 10-9 VargasVargas 70-63Round 8This was a much closer round. In his early attacks Kameda landed some hard hooks with a right to the head the best punch he had landed in the fight. Vargas was not throwing as many punches and Kameda just outworked him.Score: 10-9 KamedaVargas 79-73Official Scores: Moret 79-73 Vargas, Scott 78-74 Vargas, Young 79-73 VargasRound 9In this one Kameda decided to throw his arms wide and invite Vargas to com e forward and hit him. Vargas did that but coolly spearing Kameda with jabs and straight rights and by the time Kameda got serious Vargas already had the round won and had no trouble stifling Kameda’s attacks.Score: 10-9 VargasVargas 89-82Round 10It was jab and move with some hard rights in the mixture from Vargas. Kameda was throwing himself into violent attacks but Vargas was tying him up inside. Kameda landed a couple of quality left hooks but Vargas closed the round with a series of quick, accurate punches.Score: 10-9 VargasVargas 99-91Round 11Kameda piled forward throughout this one. He managed to land a few hooks looking to have briefly have buckled the knees of the champion but not a lot of scoring was done with Vargas short with his jabs and not throwing many rights with Kameda just edging it .Score: 10-9 KamedaVargas 108-101Round 12Kameda stupidly threw away a point early in this last round. He was holding Vargas against the ropes and when the referee stepped between them to break them up Kameda then connected with a couple of head punches thrown past the referee and was rightly deducted a point*. Kameda attacked ferociously and managed to land some short punches inside with Vargas just happy to dance to the bell;.Score 9*-9 TiedVargas 117-110Official Scores: Moret 117-110, Vargas, Scott 117-110, Young 117-110 VargasIt is difficult to see where Vargas goes from here. There are no big money fights for him in his own division and although he is skilful his last six fights have all been points victories which have generated little in the way of excitement. Unification fights with Daniel Roman and Emanuel Navarrete would be attractive if they could be made but Vargas is a difficult fighter to look good against and is in danger of becoming the Guillermo Rigondeaux of the super bantams. Former WBO bantam champion Kameda was interim WBC champion going into this one and he will probably get another title shot in 2020 as he is an attraction.Rios vs. De La Hoya Rios proves a road block on De La Hoya’s way to a title shot. This was a fiercely contested contest. De La Hoya is a fighter who likes to take a fight inside and work to the body. Rios had the same idea so they traded hard body punches for much of the six rounds. Rios made the better start digging left hooks to the ribs with De La Hoya seeming to lack any snap in his work. De La Hoya improved some using his jab more and connecting with straight rights to the head putting Rios on the defensive. Rios came back into the fight strongly with his inside work and slowly took control. By the fifth de La Hoya looked to be flagging and the body punching from Rios was having its effect. In the sixth Rios was still working the body and as De La Hoya moved inside Rios met him with a left to the body and then a vicious right uppercut. De La Hoya went down on one knee watching the count. He was up at eight but then told the referee he did not want to continue and the fight was over. A points loss to Rey Vargas for the WBC super bantam title in 2017 was a blow but in some ways the stoppage loss to Azat Hovhannisyan was the one that put a question mark over the future of Rios. With De La Hoya being rated No 3 by the WBA this win puts Rios back into the title mix. A shocking loss for De La Hoya. Not so much for losing to Rios but for the way he simply chose to quit. His “no mas” moment. He is 24 and a “name” so can hopefully put this behind him.Gonzalez vs. AvilaGonzalez collects a couple more titles as he stops Avila in the sixth round. The 25-year-old Californian adds the vacant WBA Continental and WBO Global titles with his fourteenth victory by KO/TKO. He has won 8 of his last 9 bouts inside the distance. He sits behind Shakur Stevenson at No 2 in the WBO ratings so there are some good challenges ahead for Oscar Valdez. Avila was flying high after winning his first 22 contests but then lost a wide unanimous decision to Joseph Diaz in May 2017. Following a routine win in November 2017 he did not fight against until drawing with Jose Gonzalez in March this year.Rocha vs. AbreuRocha grinds down Abreu in a gruelling inside battle. Rocha was on top of Abreu from the off. He was standing in close pounding Abreau’s body with hooks. Abreu was almost static at times in front of Rocha getting the worst of the exchanges. He was making Rocha’s job easy for him as he was not firing back often enough or hard enough and not moving. Abreu did start to move around a little in the fifth and sixth but took a beating in the seventh as Rocha began to switch his punches from head to body. A right to the head followed by a left hook to the body and a right uppercut seriously weakened Abreu in the seventh. A big right shook Abreu in the eighth and a left hook sent him against the ropes. Somehow he stayed upright but Rocha then unloaded with head punches and with Abreu stumbling the referee stopped the fight. The 22-year-old southpaw was defending the WBC Continental Americas title and this is his ninth win by KO/TKO. He was coming off a good win over Mexican-based Japanese fighter Shoki Sakai in April and may soon be ready for better opposition. Puerto Rican Abreu put together a run of seven wins but was then inactive for 17 months before losing on a third round retirement against Gary O’Sullivan in May last year.Gutierrez vs. Hernandez Tremendous upset as Venezuelan stops unbeaten WBC No 3 Hernandez inside a round. Both of these fighters have scored most of their wins by KO/TKO and Hernandez seemed to have no respect for Gutierrez’s power. Hernandez was marching forward trying to work inside and had early success with a punch causing a cut inside Gutierrez’s mouth but he was being caught with rights to the head with every step he took. Gutierrez hammered home a series of rights which first stopped Hernandez in his tracks and then put him on the canvas on his back. Hernandez tried to rise but toppled over again and the referee promptly waived the fight over. Gutierrez,24, now has 19 wins by KO/TKO but he did not seem a dangerous opponent having consecutive losses in 2018 against Hector Tanajara and Oscar Duarte. He was rated WBO 9 going into this fight now he has beaten the WBC No 3 so a world title shot is a possibility. Hernandez is just 21and he can rebuild. He has WBC champion Miguel Berchelt as an example as Berchelt was once stopped in 99 seconds by Luis Florez but is now a champion.July 11Rome, Italy: Middle: Marcus Morrison (21-3) TKO 9 Emanuele Blandamura (29-4). Light Heavy: Serhiy Demchenko (22-14-1) W TKO 7 Hakim Zoulikha (26-11). Cruiser: Tommy McCarthy (15-2) W RTD 2 Francesco Cataldo (7-6). Light: Emiliano Marsili (38-0-1) W PTS 6 Brayan Mairena (10-12-1). Super Welter: Vincenzo Bevilacqua (16-0) W PTS 6 Novak Radulovic (9-4-1). Light Heavy: Valentino Manfredonia (1-0) W PTS 4 Sokol Arsic (1-3-2).Morrison vs. Blandamura Morrison wins the vacant WBC International title with stoppage of Blandamura after a stirring battle. There were plenty of fierce exchanges over the early rounds with both fighters being rocked. Blandamura was fighting with his heart and not his head as Morrison was the harder puncher and the Italian’s corner was urging him to box but Blandamura was unwilling to take a step back or take a punch without immediately firing back. He was also facing a taller opponent with a longer reach so used his experience to work around Morrison’s jab. Morrison rocked Blandamura with rights in the fifth sending the home fighter staggering into the ropes but Blandamura fought back. It was a fast-paced, open fight and at the end of the eighth it was very evenly balanced on the cards although Morrison was getting on top late in the eighth rocking Blandamura with eye-catching head punches. In the ninth Blandamura started by pinning Morrison against the ropes and hooking to the body. Morrison made it off the ropes and was beginning to let his punches go when the action was stopped so that Blandamura’s bootlace could be retied. Morrison then landed four hard rights to the head. An exhausted Blandamura absorbed them but a fifth sent him down on his hands and knees. He crawled to the ropes and levered himself up but was gazing out into the crowd in no condition to continue and the referee stopped the fight with Blandamura collapsing in the referee’s arms and having to be carried to his corner and it was some time before he recovered. 26-year-old Englishman Morrison registers his fifth win in a row and his 15th win by KO/TKO. A real power performance. Blandamura, 39, was trying to regain the title he held back in 2012. A former European champion he was stopped in eight rounds by Ryota Murata in a challenge for the WBA secondary title in April last year. He is a tremendously popular fighter so the hope is he will now retire but Blandamura did say he likes fighting so much he may continue.Demchenko vs. ZoulikhaIn a return match Demchenko comes from behind to stop Frenchman Zoulikha and collects the vacant European Union title. Demchenko had injured his left arm some time prior to the match and made a cautious start. Zoulikha was buzzing around the bigger man able to find plenty of gaps for his wide hooks. Demchenko looked hesitant and was not really throwing enough punchesand althoughZoulikha was cut over his left eye in a clash of heads in the third by the end of the fourth round he had built a lead. Demchenko was cut badly over his right in a clash of heads in the fifth and Zoulikha was connecting with hooks around Demchenko’s high guard. As Zoulikha came forward Demchenko exploded a right to the Frenchman’s head. Zoulikha was out on his feet stumbling to left and right and then pitching down to the canvas on his hands and knees. It looked impossible for him to get up but he did and despite more heavy rights from Demchenko Zoulikha was punching back at the bell. An amazing recovery. They both fought hard in the sixth with Demchenko getting on top late in the round. In the seventh a big right from Demchenko shook Zoulikha and then Demchenko drove Zoulikha across the ring landing lefts and rights until the referee made a goodstoppage. The 39-year-old Ukrainian-born Rome-adopted Demchenko had beaten Zoulikha on a technical decision to win the EU title and this victory marks the start of his third spell as EU champion. He has a spotty record but is dangerous as he showed here. Zoulikha, 35, the EBU No 5, is also a former EU title holder but has tended to lose the big fights.McCarthy vs. CataldoMcCarthy floors late substitute Cataldo twice on the way to victory. Cataldo took the fight at just three days notice when Fabio Turchi was forced to pull out due to an injury. McCarthy was content to just dance around the slower Cataldo in the first firing jabs and trying an occasional right. McCarthy planted his feet in the second going for power and knocked Catalano down with two rights. Cataldo beat the count and managed to stay out of trouble until the end of the round when heavy punches from McCarthy put him down again. He was up and waited out the eight count with the bell going at the end of the count but his corner then retired their man. The 28-year-old Belfast-based McCarthy makes it 8 wins by KO/TKO. His two losses have been in hard contests against Matty Askin and Richard Riakporhe. Cataldo, 37, is a former Italian title challenger but is now 1-4 in his last 5 fights.Marsili vs. MairenaJust a light workout for Marsili. He breezed through this one with too much skill and experience for the very limited Nicaraguan winning every minute of every round. Scores 60-54 for southpaw Marsili from the judges. The 42-year-old southpaw has been floating around the upper levels of the world ratings for years now but has never landed a title fight and it is difficult to see how he can land one now. Twelfth loss in a row for Spanish-based Mairena.Bevilacqua vs. RadulovicFormer undefeated Italian champion Bevilacqua eases his way to victory with decision over Kosovon-born Radulovic. Bevilacqua made a slow start but then took charge and easily outpointed Radulovic without every looking as though he could stop him. Scores 59-55 twice and 60-54 for 25-year-old southpaw Bevilacqua who is still looking for his first inside the distance win. Third loss in his last four fights for Radulovic.Manfredonia vs. ArsicManfredonia hands in his vest and enters the pro ring for the first time. Arsic was no real test. He was able on occasions to take advantage of Manfredonia’s low guard to connect with some punches but Manfredonia was always in charge. Score 39-37 from the three judges. Brazilian-born Manfredonia is a former Italian amateur champion who won a gold medal at the European Union Championships and a silver at the European Games before representing Italy at the 2016 Olympics in his home country but at 29 time is against him as a pro. Serb Arsic had no chance in this one.July 12Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: Welter: Amir Khan (34-5) W TKO 4 Billy Dib (45-6,1ND). Feather: Lerato Dlamini (13-1) W PTS 12 Dave Penalosa (15-1). Bantam: Michell Banquez (19-1) W PTS 12 Prince Patel (19-1-1) W. Heavy: Hughie Fury (23-2) W TKO 7 Samuel Peter (38-8). Khan vs. DibKhan too fast and too big for Dib and floors Dib twice before the fight is stopped in the fourth round. In a messy start the two fighters got tangled a few times. The real action came late in the round with Khan firing a burst of punches most of which missed and Dib taunting Khan for missing. Khan floored Dib in the second with a short left hook inside. Dib did not look badly shaken and after the eight count moved and held to the bell that seemed to go 18 seconds early. Khan was stringing 5-6 punch combinations together in the third and Dib was under pressure all the way. The fight ended in confusion in the fourth. Khan took Dib to the ropes and connected with a volley of hooks and uppercuts with Dib dropping to the floor. The referee had only just started the count when the towel came in from Dib’s corner flashing past the referee who did not see it. Dib’s second climbed into the ring and started to walk over to Dib. The towel had landed behind the referee who was still counting. Dib’s corner man started to back up waiving his hands as if to retract the retirement and Khan’s corner were celebrating. Not having seen the towel the referee was surprised to see Khan’s men in the ring celebrating and then waived the fight off.Kahn wins the vacant WBC International title. This one was just about the money and will have done nothing to improves Khan’s chances of a fight with the winner of Manny Pacquiao vs. Keith Thurman but he showed that he still has great hand speed and gets in some ring time as he waits to see what door open next. Former BF feather champion Dib, 33, stepped in as a substitute and the speed of his corner’s action in throwing in the towel showed that they knew their man was overmatched against a more talented and naturally bigger fighter.Dlamini vs. Penalosa A sparkling performance from the relatively unknown Dlamini which nets him the vacant WBC Silver title. Dlamini was quicker than southpaw Penalosa and was able to land some good body punches and use fast movement to get in and out before Penalosa could counter. Constant changes ofdirection by Dlamini had Penalosa searching for a target and not throwing enough punches. Penalosa scored well with body punches in the third but generally he was a step behind the speedy Dlamini. Penalosa was walking forward in the fourth when a counter right hook from Dlamini put him on his rump. He was up quickly and the bell went shortly after the count was over. Dlamini’s tactics did not vary. He was slotting jabs through the guard of Penalosa then moving quickly out of range before springing back in the a series of punches and getting out with a frustrated Penalosa swishing air. The only success for the Filipino came when he could pin Dlamini to the ropes or when Dlamini chose to stand and trade but those occasions were few. The referee had the doctor examine Penalosa in the ninth suspecting a jaw injury but the doctor cleared Penalosa to continue as Dlamini boxed his way to victory. Scores 117-109 twice and 118-110. After losing his first pro fight Dlamini has now won 13 in a row and although small for a featherweight at 5’5” he looks a very good fighter. Penalosa, the son of former IBF champion Dodie, had won 6 of his last 7 fights inside the distance and was No 10 with the WBO but was comprehensively outboxed in this fight. Patel vs. BanquezBanquez wins the vacant IBO title with unanimous decision over unbeaten Patel. Venezuelan Banquez set out his stall early connecting with strong jabs and thudding body punchesthrough the high guard the taller southpaw Patel. Banquez was outworking Patel and more worrying for the Englishman he was also being out jabbed. Patel had some success when he worked his jab and long rights but Banquez had more variety in his work hooking to head and body. There was not a lot of power in Banquez punches but he was rattling off combinations on a static Patel. By just walking in behind a high guard Patel was not using his reach advantage and was allowing Banquez to pick his spots and then move too quickly for Patel to counter. The high guard approach was not working for Pastel but he had no plan B and although he did better over the closing rounds Banquez still outworked him and was a clear winner. Scores 119-109 twice and 118-110 for Banquez. The 29-year-old Venezuelan has a heavily padded record with his first 14 opponents having just 11 wins between them and he lost a wide decision to Chilean Miguel Gonzalez last June in his only fight of note. He displayed a tremendous work rate here but Patel’s tactics made it easy for him and he will struggle against better opposition. Patel’s record was also heavily padded with a series wins over low level opposition in Hungary. He had won the UBO and WBFederation title and was No 6 with the WBO and the IBF had him at 14(13) but he was a big disappointment here.Fury vs. PeterA poor fight ends early as Peter retires in the seventh round claiming an arm injury. Fury was too speedy and too tall for the 38-year-old Nigerian who although quicker than he looks was restricted to some dangerous looking swings and a few fouls. Fury was able to flit around the ring catching Peter with quick jabs and occasional rights. Peter was warned for a low punch in the third, lost a point for hitting on the break in the fourth and was warned for low punches in the fifth with Fury taking quite a while to recover. In the same fifth round Peter also landed two deliberate punches to the back of Fury’s head. Fury was content to outbox Peter connecting with long jabs and right hand counters and was able to score at distance and hold in close.. Although four inched smaller Peter was 43lbs heavier than Fury and tired from trundling after Fury. He had run out of gas in the seventh and after a clinch he indicated that in twisting his arm he had suffered an injury and could not continue. No real benefit here to Fury except for a few rounds of ring time and a payday. His only current rating is No 15 with the IBF and if he is going to climb he needs to set his sights higher than oldies such as Peter. The former WBC champion from Nigeria has left his best days way behind and is too fat and slow to be a test for a young fighter such as Liverpool, England: Feather: James Dickens (27-3) W PTS 10 Nathaniel May (21-2).Super Middle: Martin Murray (38-5-1) W PTS 10 Rui Manuel Pavanito (10-9-1). Light: Terry Flanagan (34-2) W KO 5 Jonas Segu (19-9-2).Welter: Sam Maxwell (12-0) W TKO 2 Oscar Amador (10-21).Dickens vs. MayDickens sues skill and speed and two knockdowns to bear Australian hope May. In a fast start May was coming forward with strong left hooks to the body and Dickens was using his right jab and some good body punches of his own. A right to the temple staggered Dickens in the second with May landing a couple more clubbing shots until Dickens used movement and his jab to blunt the Australian’s attack. Dickens controlled the action with his jab in the third and fourth. May went down early in the fourth. It was ruled a slip but later in the round a short right hook put May down and after he got up Dickens kept him pinned on the ropes firing hooks and uppercuts to the bell. May tried to up his pace in the fifth but again had trouble getting past Dickens jab and when May missed with a couple of punches he overbalanced and fell to the floor for a questionable knockdown. May fought back fiercely in the sixth and seventh rumbling forward but he was being outworked and looked to be tiringas Dickens consistently scored with his right jab and straight lefts. Dickens boxed intelligently in the eighth and ninth spearing May with jabs and he was now the one doing the pressing. May needed a knockout in the tenth but too often he was swinging wildly and Dickens kept moving pinging May with quick jabs and May just could not land anything of note. Scores 97-91, 97-92 and 96-92 all for former British champion Dickens who wins the vacant IBF European title. His losses have come against Kid Galahad and Thomas Patrick Ward for the British super bantam title and Guillermo Rigondeaux for the WBA title. The win over May is his fifth on the bounce. May, 22, had won his last 17 fights and was IBF No 8(7). Dickens outboxed him here but at 23 he can come again.Murray vs. PavanitoMurray moves back up to super middle and gets an easy victory over limited Pavanito. Murray’s jab was too strong for the Portuguese fighter and he was able to control the action in every round. Murray never really had to engage a high gear but he did get some useful work. Pavanito was trying to come forward and Murray was content to let himdo so on occasions. Murray used his power to keep Pavanito trapped against the ropes and landed some meaty hooks to the body but did not press too hard. Pavanito landed some crisp uppercuts in the third and Murray hurt Pavanito with lefts to the body in the sixth and seventh and staggered him twice in the eighth as it began to look as though Murray was trying to finish the fight inside the distance. He had Pavanito in deep trouble in the ninth but the Portuguese fighter survived that and was still there at the final bell. Referee’s score 99-92 for Murray. There will be much tougher fights ahead for Murray. This was his first fight since losing to Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam in a WBC Silver middleweight title defence in December and there plenty of goods fights for him out there. Pavanito had won five moderate level fights going into this one. He took his lumps and never really threatened an upset.Flanagan vs. SeguFlanagan gets back into the winning groove with win over Tanzanian Segu. Flanagan was content to let Segu dance about prodding out left jabs but just before the bell when the Tanzanian rushed in Flanagan met him with a short left to the chin that put him down. Segu made it to his feet and although he took more punishment he defied Flanagan’s efforts to end the fight. Flanagan found the awkward rushing tactics of the Tanzanianwere making it difficult for him to land cleanly and he had to be careful as Segu was throwing himself forward head first. In the fourth Flanagan was anticipating Segu’s charges and connecting regularly with straight lefts. In the interval Segu sat head down and hardly even lifted his head so that his second had to thrust his mouthguard in his mouth. Segu then made no attempt to throw a punch but just backed into a corner with Flanagan hardly able to land a punch before Segu slumped to the canvas sitting resting with his back on the ropes and he made no move at all to try to rise so was counted out. After consecutive losses to Maurice Hooker and Regis Prograis last year the former WBO light champion has dropped out of the ratings so will be looking to get some wins under his belt and land a title shot. Segu was lightweight in terms of power and ability and took the easy way out.Maxwell vs. AmadorWBO European champion Maxwell was untroubled in this one. He was finding gaps with his jab and connecting with quick rights to the head. Just before the bell a stiff jab caught the advancing Amador and he went down. He arose quickly just as the bell sounded. In the second Amador aimed to get inside but walked onto a right hook that dropped him to his knees with his head touching the canvas and he stayed like that for the full count.Ten wins by KO/TKO for the Liverpool fighter. Sixth defeat by KO/TKO for Nicaraguan Amador and his 14th loss in a row.Hollywood, FL, USA: Welter: Derrick Cuevas (22-0-1) W PTS 10 Jesus Beltran (17-3-2). Heavy: Ivan Dychko (9-0) W KO 2 Nate Heaven (9-3).Cuevas vs. BeltranPuerto Rican hope Cuevas retained the WBA Fedelatin title with all three judges seeing him a clear winner with scores of 99-91 twice and 98-92. In winning his last 17 fights the 24-year-old from Guaynabo has worked his way through the usual suspects in Silverio Ortiz, Breidis Prescott, and Ed Paredes. Beltran had lost only one of his last 18 fights.Dychko vs. HeavenDychko makes it nine out of nine as he kayos Heaven in two rounds. Heaven was down twice with a booming right causing the second knockdown and ending the fight. The 28-year-old 6’9” Kazak has won all of his fights by KO/TKO taking less than 16 rounds in total. In the amateurs he won two silver medals and a bronze at the world championships and lost to Anthony Joshua in the semi-finals in the London Olympics. Heaven, 6’6” and 33-years-oldwas having his first fight four over four years but at 33 he is much younger that Dychko’s last two victims Maurice Harris at 43 and Ray Austin at 48 so need to get too excited over Dychko yet.Everett, MA, USA: Super Welter: Greg Vendetti (22-3-1) W PTS 12 Michael Anderson (17-3-1). Super Light: Luis Arcon (8-0) W KO 3 Mario Lozano (18-4-1).Vendetti vs. AndersonPopular local battler Vendetti wins a world title of sorts as he outpoints New Jersey’s Anderson to pick up the vacant IBA belt. Vendetti’s non-stop punching tactics were just too much for Anderson who could not match the phenomenal work rate of “The Villain”. Vendetti dominated every minute of every round with Anderson too busy defending to stage any meaningful offence of his own and by the end of the twelve rounds he was a battered and beaten man. The fight was so-one-sided that one of the judges saw a couple of round 10-8 even without a knock down. Scores 120-108 twice and 120-106 for Vendetti. He scored an important win over Japanese toughie Yoshihiro Kamegai in August last year and has lost only one of his last 18 fights. That was a stoppage against world rated Michel Soro in December and this is Vendetti’s second win since then. Anderson, 38, was having only his second fight in four years having been out of the ring from June 2015 until returning with a win in December last year.Arcon vs. LozanoArcon is just too good for this level of opposition. After hunting down Lozano in the first he ended the fight with a brutal kayo 70 seconds into the second. The 27-year-old Venezuelan has won his eight fights by KO/TKO taking less than 17 rounds in total. He was a silver medallist at the Pan American Championships and the South American Games, took a bronze at the Pan American Games and competed at the 2016 Olympics. Argentinian southpaw Lozano suffers his third inside the distance loss this year.Tacoma, WA, USA: Heavy: Jermaine Franklin (19-0) W PTS 10 Jerry Forrest (25-3). Heavy: Constantin Bejenaru (14-0,1ND) W TKO 6 Jose Corral. Super Feather: Giovanni Mioletti (17-0) W PTS 10 Luis Porozo (14-1). Feather: Eric Hunter (22-4) W TKO 5 German Meraz (62-57-2,1ND)Franklin vs. ForrestFranklin remains unbeaten with controversial split decision over Forrest. They started trading punches in a hectic first round with Franklin looking for another quick win and Forrest matching him punch for punch. The pace slowed in a close second with Franklin landing a good right. Forrest boxed cleverly in the third slotting home southpaw jabs and long lefts. Franklin was able to work Forrest over against the ropes in the fifth and they both landed well in the sixth. Franklin was attacking hard over the seventh and eighth but Forrest was slick and quick and changing angles. Franklin had a strong ninth. Forrest looked to be tiring and Franklin was landing well to the body and they both put in a big effort in the last. Scores 97-93 twice for Franklin and 96-95 for Forrest. The scores for Franklin looked too wide and the one for Forrest looked about right. Michigan’s Franklin, 25, rode his luck a little here but it was a good test and a good learning fight. Lafayette’s Forrest hadan 18-bout winning streak snapped but will consider himself unlucky to lose.Bejenaru vs. CorralNew York-based Moldovan Bejenaru stops Mexican Corral in a bout that was hastily cobbled together after BJ Flores was denied a licence on medical grounds and his fight with Otto Wallin was cancelled. Bejenaru quicklyshook of the dust from twenty months of inactivity and was soon landing some heavy shots on the slow and overmatched Corral. Bejenaru rocked Corral in the fourth and pounded on Corral all the way. A savage combination in the sixth had Corral in deep water and the fight was halted. The 30-year-old Bejenaru was high in the world ratings after wins over unbeaten Stivens Bujaj and Thabiso Mchunu before inactivity halted his climb. Although born in Moldova he boxed for Romania as anamateur winning national titles at 81 &91kg, competing at the 2005, 2007 and 2009 World championships and twice taking a silver medal at the European Union Championships. Now 35 he could not really afford that 20 months off. Corral, 38, is 1-6 in his last 7 fights.Miolettivs. PorozoThere was another former top level amateur in this fight but EcuadorianPorozo after making a good start then faded badly and lost the unanimous decision to Chicago southpaw Mioletti. Porozo brought his skills from the amateur days with him and outboxed Mioletti early. He was quick and smart and sliding punches through Mioletti’s guard. Mioletti pressed hard and shook Porozo with a left in the third. The Ecuadorian recovered and continued to box skilfully. Mioletti just kept pressing and eventually Porozo slowed and Mioletti was able to finish strongly to emerge a good winner. Scores 98-92 twice and 97-93 for Mioletti. It was the right result but the first two cards were harsh on Porozo. The 24-year-old Mioletti, a crowd favourite at the Battle on the Boat, is being matched sensibly. He had won his last four fights by KO/TKO but will have learned more from this fight than those other wins. Porozo, 29, competed for Ecuador at the 2008 Olympics, the 2007 and 2009 World Championships and the Pan American Games.Hunter vs. MerazAs with Bejenaru Hunter also had a thick coat of dust to disperse. Meraz with over 120 fights behind him was hustling and bustling early proving a more testing opponent than expected. Hunter eventually found the range and floored Meraz with left hook in the third. He continued to press Meraz hard over the fourth with the Mexican looked to haveadopted survival tactics. In the and fifth a banging together of heads saw Meraz cut over his left eye. The referee had the doctor examine the cut and he advised the fight be stopped. As it had gone past the fourth round it was decided on the scorecards with Hunter in front 50-44 on all three score sheets. First fight for Hunter since losing to Lee Selby in an IBF featherweight title challenge in April 2016. Meraz is 1-10 in his last 11 fights.July 13London. England: Heavy: Joe Joyce (10-0) W PTS 12 Bryant Jennings (24-4). Middle: Liam Williams (21-2-1) W TKO 2 Karim Achour (27-6-3). Heavy: Daniel Dubois (12-0) W TKO 5 Nathan Gorman (16-1). Super Feather: Archie Sharp (16-0) W PTS 10 Jordan McCrory (18-6-1). Super Fly: Sunny Edwards (12-0) W PTS 10 Hiram Gallardo (12-3-2).Joyce vs. JenningsImportant victory for Joyce who goes past the eighth round for the first time on his way to victory. Joyce made a confident start with some hefty jabs. Jennings then began to land with jabs and quick hooks inside. Joyce was looking slow and ponderous but nothing Jennings hit him with seemed to even register with Joyce. The next three rounds belonged to Joyce. He does not snap his jab but pushed it with a great deal of power behind it and he was using that, his strength and extra poundage to force Jennings to the ropes and score with long heavy lefts and rights The fifth was closer as Jennings moved more and threw more punches. Joyce was still swinging heavy punches which hurt wherever they landed but Jennings outscored him in the sixth and seventh. He was blocking many of Joyce’s punches and connecting with hooks and rights to the head but it was still a case that nothing he landed had any effect on Joyce who at times reminds one of George Foreman in his style and power. Joyce worked hard to take the eighth. He was walking forward pumping out lefts and rights and keeping Jennings on the back foot. Joyce again worked hard in the ninth throwing punches but Jennings came on late in the round. Joyce was looking arm weary and it was now a case that very little Joyce was landing was stopping Jennings moving forward. The tenth saw some good two-way action with Joyce connecting with powerful jabs and clubbing head punches and Jennings seeing out the storm and firing back. Late in the round a left from Jennings went low and the referee deducted a point although it looked harsh, however Jennings landed another low punch before the bell and was given a last warning. Joyce outworked Jennings in the eleventh and kept Jennings trapped on the ropes as he pounded away. Jennings was blocking most of the punches but not throwing any himself. Scores 118-109, 117-110 and 115-112 all for Joyce. I saw it 116-112 for Joyce. The two big pluses for Joyce, apart from the win, were that he went twelve rounds and that he beat a heavyweight who was not all washed up unlike Bermane Stiverne and Alex Ustinov. The downside is that he never had Jennings really hurt at any time in the fight whereas both Luis Ortiz and Oscar Rivas had stopped Jennings. Joyce’s only rating before this fight was No 14 with the WBC and Jennings was unrated. Joyce is the official challenger to European champion Agit Kabayel with the deadline for agreement or purse offers of 7 August. Kabayel is rated No 3 (2) with the IBF with only Kubrat Pulev ahead of him-the No 2 spot is vacant- so a win over Kabayel would put Joyce very close to a world title fight but Kabayel is 19-0 and has a win over Derrick Chisora. At 34 Jennings is not finished yet and there are a whole clutch of young heavyweights out there looking to get a name on their list of victims.Williams vs. AchourWilliams crushes Achour to win the vacant WBC Silver title. Williams had his jab working well in the opening round forced Achour onto the back foot landing with a hefty left hook to the body. Williams continued to come forward with Achour hiding behind a high guard and already looking to be in survival mode hardly throwing a punch. In the second Williams was firing hard jabs and testing the Frenchman’s guard with following rights. He took Achour to a corner and connect with body punches. Achour escaped from the corner but was caught with a powerful right hook and stumbled back before dropping to the canvas on his side. He made it to his feet only for punches from Williams sending him stumbling back to a corner and down for a second time. Achour got up but was finished and after the eight count the referee stopped the fight. The 27-year-old British champion from Wales now has 16 wins by KO/TKO. His two losses came in 2017 against Liam Smith the first on a cut and the second a majority decision. Up at middle now he looks a real threat. Achour, a former French, European Union and WBC International champion was 13-1-1 going into this one with the loss being on points to David Lemieux over twelve rounds in May last year. This is his first inside the distance defeat.Dubois vs. GormanDubois wins the vacant British title with stoppage of previously unbeaten Gorman. Dubois made a confident start coming forward behind quick jabs and connecting with some right crosses. Gorman was on the back foot looking to counter and landed a sharp uppercut inside. There were some furious exchanges in the second with Dubois landing some good rights one of which opened a cut over the left eye of Gorman. A series of clubbing rights in the third sent Gorman down on his knees and reopened the cut. After the count Gorman threw himself forward firing wild punches but Dubois took charge again and had Gorman under pressure to the bell. In a quieter fourth Dubois continued to stalk the retreating Gorman trying to open him up with the jab and landed rights crosses. Dubois staggered Gorman badly with a right early in the fifth and after good work with his jab put Gorman on the floor with a right to the head. Gorman made it to his feet but the referee stopped the fight. The 6’5” 21-year-old Londoner showed maturity and power here. He worked his openings with his jab, kept cool picking his moments to attack and then demonstrated why his nickname is “Dynamite” with some big rights. Gorman was never in with a chance. He was outboxed and outpunched with Dubois proving to be in a different class.Sharp vs. McCrorySharp floors and outpoints McCrory in WBO European title defence. Sharp scored in the first with a left hook then used his superior speed to get inside and land another good hook then ducked and weaved around McCrory's attempts to counter. Sharp was taller with a longer reach and quick hands and McCrory only really had any success on the occasions when he could catch Sharp on the ropes. Sharp also fitted in some very showy work but there was nothing showy about the left hook to the ribs that put McCrory down in the third. McCrory bent forward with his head touching the canvas and it looked as though the fight was over but the Scot got up and danced through the few seconds to the bell. McCrory had a good spell at the end of the fifth as he connected with some head shots as they stood and traded but other than the skills of Sharp were the deciding factor in the fight. Sharp switched guards seamlessly and rattled McCrory with hooks and uppercuts. McCrory tried to walk through the punches to force Sharp back but he was being showered with quick punches by Sharp who was able bob and weave around McCrory and then pop up and clout McCrory with counters on his way to a wide points victory. Scores 98-91 for Sharp on the three cards as he retains the WBO European title. That WBO European title gets Sharp a No 10 rating with the WBO. He has lots of talent but is in a tough division. McCrory has now lost three of his last four fights but the other two losses have been against 29-2 Patrick Kinigamazi for the WBFederation title and unbeaten Sam Bowen for the British title.Edwards vs. GallardoEdwards breezes past crude Mexican Gallardo. Edwards was able to slot jabs through the Mexican’s poor defence and connect with counters as Gallardo piled forward head down. Gallardo was on the floor in the second but it looked as though he slipped after missing with a punch but it resulted in an eight count. Edwards was comfortable boxing either orthodox or southpaw. His jabs were too quick for Gallardo to block and his foot speed allowed Edwards to dart inside to score and then get out of range before Gallardo could counter. Gallardo kept lunging forward but he was too crude to pose any threat to Edwards, The downside is that Edwards never had Gallardo in any trouble and never looked close to stopping him. Scores three times 99-90 for Edwards. He is the younger brother of WBC champion Charlie and will be aiming to become the second world champion in the family but super fly is a very strong division. Gallardo is the WBC Youth silver champion but to put that in context his defence of that title in March was against a fighter who had never previously had a pro fight.Minneapolis, MN, USA: Welter: Jamal James (26-1) W PTS 10 Antonio De Marco (33-8-1). Heavy: Gerald Washington (20-3-1) W KO 8 Robert Helenius (28-3). Welter: Bryant Perrella (18-2) W TKO 3 Dominique Dolton (22-3-1). Heavy: Charles Martin (27-2-1) W TKO 4 Daniel Martz (18-7-1). Bantam: Gary Antonio Russell (14-0) W PTS 10 Francisco Pedroza (13-9-2). Light: Carlos Balderas (9-0) W TKO 7 Robert Frankel ( 37-22-1). Super Light: Gary Antuanne Russell (10-0) W KO 3 Larry Ventus (9-14-1).James vs. De MarcoFighting in his home city James outpoints De Marco over ten tough, entertaining rounds. James had height and reach on his side and De Marco had his experience and his southpaw stance going for him. James was the aggressor in the first pinning De Marco to the ropes early and firing a burst of punches. Late in the round with De Marco backed into a corner they both threw plenty of punches with James getting the better of the trading. De Marco changed tactics in the second coming forward and forcing James to the ropes and clobbering him with overhand rights. James fired back and for the rest of the round both fighters were letting their hands fly in an exciting melee. De Marco had taken that round but sanity returned in the third and fourth as James boxed on the outside with De Marco chasing. He had some success when he was able to get close but James was monopolising the scoring. The pace slowed in the fifth with James using his jab to keep De Marco out and landing hurtful rights to the head. James let himself be dragged back into a brawl in the sixth with De Marco connecting with some rib-bending right hooks. They went to war again in the seventh but this time it was James connecting with the better punches. A hard right drove De Marco back and at the end of the round De Marco had swellings under both eyes. It was brawl time again in the eighth and James was throwing more and landing more but with De Marco connecting with some corrosive hooks and uppercuts. James was on his bicycle in the ninth moving around the slower De Marco back peddling for much of the time but scoring with his jab and short bursts of punches. De Marco was so exhausted in the tenth that a left jab sent him reeling across the ring and down but the referee decided it was not a knockdown. They both fought fiercely to the last bell with James pounding on De Marco at the end. It had been tough, gruelling and exciting fight and it was great to see the two fighters showing so much respect for each other as they embraced at the end. Scores 98-92 for James on the three cards. The scores were correct but could not reflect the way that De Marco made James fight so hard for every point. The 32-year-old James is tall for a welter at 6’2” and has good hand and foot speed and some power. His only defeat is a points decision against Yordenis Ugas in 2016 and he has registered victories over Ionut Dan Ion, Diego Chaves, Mahonri Montes and now De Marco. He is handily placed at WBA 5/WBC 11/IBF 13 (12) but probably needs a win over a rated fighter to put himself in line for a title chance. Former WBC lightweight champion De Marco, 33, is slower and fleshier than at his peak and falls to 2-5 in his last 7 fights but all of the losses have been to world class opposition.Helenius vs. WashingtonWashington outlasts Helenius for an eighth round victory. Helenius controlled the early action with his longer reach .Washington was having trouble getting past the jab of Helenius and when he did get past it Helenius was countering him with sharp rights. The Finn hurt Washington with a couple of rights late in the third but Washington stepped up his pace in the fourth landing some good jabs and long rights. The pace of the fight was slow and the rounds were close. Helenius took the fifth and sixth with some strong jabs with Washington landing some quick punches inside early in the seventh as Helenius was looking exhausted. It was a tired man’s fight in the eighth until Washington connected with a right cross that shook Helenius, Washington then threw a bunch of hooks that sent Helenius staggering across the ring and down on his back with his head resting on the bottom rope. The referee started the count but with Helenius in some distress he waived the fight over. The 37-year-old Washington was level on two cards before being stopped by Deontay Wilder in a WBC title fight in 2017 but inside the distance defeats at the hands of Jarrell Miller and Adam Kownacki had banished him from the ratings and this fight was one he could not afford to lose. Swedish-born Helenius has lost only three fights but they have been critical to his career. He was knocked in six rounds by Johann Duhaupas and lost a decision to Dillian Whyte when winning either fight could have led to a world title shot but with this loss that dream has died.Perrella vs. DoltonFloridian Perrella continues along his switchback ways as he stops Dolton in what looked a very even match on paper. Both fighters were quick off the mark Dolton snapping out jabs and southpaw Perrella not as quick but more accurate and Perrella was the one connecting. Having been on the back foot in the first Perrella began taking the fight to Dolton in the second. He was using lots of right hooks and switching his attack to head and body. He connected with a powerful left hook which sent Dolton staggering to the ropes but the bell went before he could capitalise on that. Perrella jumped on Dolton at the start of the third pinning him against the ropes and firing hooks and uppercuts. Dolton tried to fight his way off the ropes but Perrella kept unloading until the referee steeped in a halted the contest. After winning his first fourteen fights Perrella then lost to Yordenis Ugas, beat Alex Martin then dropped a majority verdict against Luis Collazo but it was an upswing for him here his 14th win by KO/TKO. Dolton has lost swing fights against Justin DeLoach and Jamontay Clark but had won his last three fights by KO/TKO.Martin vs. MartzMartin a few classes above Martz and gets an inside the distance win. In the first southpaw Martin was much quicker than the lumbering Martz and was able to slot home right jabs to head and body and was on target with occasional lefts. Martin’s punches caused a big bruise to grow under the right eye of Martz in the second but Martz managed to land a couple of clubbing rights . Martin began to find the range in the third connecting with long lefts to the head of Martz. Just seconds into the fourth a left to the head from Martin had Martz backing up and then going down on one knee. Martz was up at nine but when he tried to take the fight to Martin he was caught with three head punches and then a left to the body and dropped to one knee again. He got up at eight but did not complain when the referee waived his arms to end the fight. The 33-year-old former IBF champion has a rebuilding job on his hands after losing a close decision to Adam Kownacki in September and this is another very small step on the road back. The 6’7 ½” Martz loses badly whenever he tries to step up. Russell vs. PedrozaJust a light workout for the talented Russell as he wins every round against young Mexican Pedroza. Scores 100-90 for Russell from the three judges. The 26-year-old is the middle brother of the three Gary Russells fighting pro and is the only one of the three not to go to the Olympics. He is being over-protected and is ready for better opposition. Pedroza, 25, is really just a prelim level fighter.Balderas vs. FrankelFormer Olympian Balderas continues to knock the opposition over and moves to eight wins inside the distance with stoppage of seasoned pro Frankel. It is the first time the 23-year-old Californian has had to go past the fourth round for victory so some useful ring time against Frankel. Balderas gained entry to the 2016 Olympics through his record in the World Series of Boxing so did not have to go through the Trials but he lost in the quarter-finals in Rio to Cuban star Lazaro Alvarez. Frankel, 39; was a replacement and a much tougher opponent than the guy he replaced but now often finds himself in the role of a late notice fighter brought in to face a rising young prospect.Russell vs. VentusIt is now ten fights and ten wins by KO/TKO for Russell. He blasted out Detroit’s Ventus with three knockdowns before the fight was stopped late in the third round. The 23-year-old Maryland southpaw, the younger brother of both WBC feather champion Gary and Gary Antonio Russell. Gary Antuanne was National Golden Gloves champion and competed at the 2016 Olympics. His ten wins have taken him less than 19 rounds. Ventus drops to six defeats by KO/TKO.Newark, NJ, USA: Bantam: Joshua Greer (21-1-1) W PTS 12 Nikolai Potapov (20-2-1). Feather: Shakur Stevenson (12-0) W KO 3 Alberto Guevara (27-5). Super Middle: Vijender Singh (11-0) W TKO 4 Mike Snider (13-6-3,1ND). Light Joseph Adorno (13-0)W KO 2 Adriano Ramirez (10-4). Super Light: Julian Rodriguez (17-0) W KO 1 Hevinson Herrera (24-18-1).Greer vs. PotapovGreer gats majority decision over Potapov with more heat being generated by the decision than the actual fight. Potapov seemed to go in front over the opening three rounds but Greer clawed his way back into the fight forcing Potapov back with some strong jabs and straight rights. The six was close as first Potapov and then Greer had good spells but the crowd was getting restive over the low tempo of the fight. The seventh was also close but Potapov had done the better work. The crowd was booing again as neither fighter really seemed to be ready to take chances. The closer rounds had been going to Potapov but Greer came on strong over the closing rounds to make it tight but with most feeling Potapov had done enough to win. Scores 116-112 and 115-113 for Greer and 114-114. With the No 2 place in the IBF ratings vacant Greer No 4 qualified to fill that spot by beating Potapov who was rated No 11. With IBF champion Naoya Inoue engaged in the WBSS final and Filipino Michael Dasmarinas No 1 Greer will probably have to wait until 2020 to get his title shot. Brooklyn-based Russian Potapov lost to on a seventh round retirement against Omar Narvaez in October 2017 but somehow found his way into the IBF top 15 in September 2018 with his only fight after the loss to Narvaez being over a guy with an 11-45-3 record in a fight in which Potapov weighed 130 ¼ lbs! He was an even more surprising No 3 with the WBO so may drop down their list.Stevenson vs. GuevaraFighting in his home city Stevenson crushes a reluctant Guevara inside three rounds. Guevara had only one gear in the opener and it was reverse. Stevenson prowled after the experienced Mexican occasionally landing with long southpaw lefts but was unable to bring Guevara to trade punches. Guevara tried some lunging attacks in the second but Stevenson easily evaded them and then got throught with a couple of punches with Guevara briefly trapped on the ropes. Stevenson then stepped in and connected with a straight left to the body and a right to the side that had Guevara sliding gown to the canvas. He was up quickly but after the count a right from Stevenson put him down again. Guevara was up at eight and the round was over. Stevenson was doing some show-boating as he pursued Guevara in the third. Guevara was given some rest time after a left from Stevenson landed low but then Stevenson caught Guevara with three head punches that sent the Mexican tumbling to the floor. Guevara arose just as the referee counted ten and there was no real conviction in Guevara’s protest that he had beaten the count. The 22-year-old Olympic silver medallist retains the WBO NABO title with his seventh win by KO/TKO. He is No 1 with both the WBO and WBA so is the mandatory challenger for both Leo Santa Cruz and Oscar Valdez but probably needs another two or three fights before going against either champion. Guevara, 28, has had shots at both the IBF and WBC titles at bantam but was coming off a loss against Hugo Ruiz in January and was never in this fight and looked a beaten man from the first bell but then he came in as a substitute at eight days notice.Singh vs. SniderIndian Singh returns to the ring with a stoppage over Snider. After taking a round to dust off his skills Singh landed a right in the second which sent Snider into the ropes but Snider did not go down. Singh dominated the second and third and was beating on Snider in the fourth when the referee halted the fight. The 33-year-old Singh competed at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics winning a bronze medal in 2008. As an amateur he recorded wins over Badou Jack, Terrell Gausha and Ron Gavril. This is his first fight since December 2017 and he may struggle to make an impact now. Fourth loss by KO/TKO for 38-year-old Snider.Adorno vs. RamirezAdorno bangs out Ramirez in two rounds. The New Jersey-born Adorno took the first with some quick accurate jabbing and then put Ramirez away in the second. A left hook floored Ramirez for the first knockdown and although he made it to his feet he was clobbered by stunning left hook and then a left-right combination that sent him down and the referee stopped the fight with bothering with a count. The 20-year-old prospect makes it eleven wins by KO/TKO. He turned pro at 17 and is an outstanding talent. Third loss in a row for Dominican Ramirez.Rodriguez vs. HerreraIn his first fight for almost two years “Hammer Hands” Rodriguez finds his punch again as he blasts out seasoned pro Herrera. A right to the chin put the Colombian down and although he made it to one knee he was counted out at the one minute mark. The New Jersey hope, a former National Golden Gloves champion, put together a run of eight wins inside the distance but then had to go the distance for his next three victories. He was then out of action due to a shoulder injury. This is his seventh first round victory. Herrera falls to 2-6 in his last 8 bouts.Antibes, Francs: Heavy: Tony Yoka (6-0) W TKO 3 Alex Dimitrenko (41-6). Bantam: Elie Konki (7-0) W PTS 10 Sebastian Jacobs (4-2-1). Super Welter: Souleymane Cissokho (10-0) W KO 4 Jose Carlos Paz (23-10-1). Super Welter: Ahmed El Mousaoui (30-3-1) W PTS 8 Alex Sharonov (12-4-2).Yoka vs. DimitrenkoYoka returns after a one year suspension for ducking the testers three times and stops Dimitrenko. A nothing first round saw both fighters just pushing out jabs with no power or conviction and usually coming up short and not throwing anything except jabs. Yoka showed more purpose in the second trying to come in behind his jab and punch to the body. He forced Dimitrenko back and connected with a couple of hooks and uppercuts. Dimitrenko was throwing very little and mainly just moving on the back foot to avoid Yoka’s punches. After a cautious start to the third Yoka stepped inside and landed a right cross and then used the same hand to connect with an uppercut with Dimitrenko dropping to his knees. Dimitrenko only just beat the count. When the action resumed Yoka landed three rights to the head with Dimitrenko spinning round and collapsing over the top rope and almost tipping out of the ring as the referee stopped the fight. Fifth win by KO/TKO for 6’7” Frenchman a gold medal winner in Rio who scored wins over unbeaten pros Joe Joyce, Fillip Hrgovic and Ivan Dychko when in the amateurs. Dimitrenko, 37, suffers his third inside the distance loss in a row and the punches that finished him here did not look that great. Officially he was under suspension until October from the California Commission on the basis of a possible fractured shoulder suffered when losing to Andy Ruiz in April. However the suspension was either until October or until, cleared by a physician so I would have thought by passing the doctor’s medical check for this fight he was effectively cleared by a physician.Konki vs. Iacobas“The Spider” Konki makes a successful second defence of the French title with unanimous decision over former undefeated champion Iacobas, The 27-year-old Konki, one the best French prospects in the lighter divisions, was a six-time national champion in the amateurs and competed at the 2016 Olympics. Iacobas won the French title in April last year but never defended it and this is his first fight since then.Cissokho vs. PazAnother outstanding display by Cissokho sees him crush Argentinian Paz in four rounds. A left and a right to the side of the head floored Paz in the first and he was never in the fight after that. Solid jabs kept Cissokho in control and Pazwas just soaking up punishment. Cissokho was also connecting with wicked body punches which quickly drained away the Argentinian’s resolve. He was shaken by an uppercut in the third and almost cut in half by a body punch. In the fifth as Paz tried to fight his way off the ropes he was forced back and another body punch had Paz dropping to his knees in pain and he was counted out even the towel came flying in from Paz’s corner. The Senegalese-born Olympic bronze medallist registers his seventh win by KO/TKO and looks ready to start collecting some belts. Paz had scored wins over Omar Chavez and Jorge Paez Jr, was beaten by Jaime Munguia and Anthony Fowler but only lost on a split decision against Ramon Alvarez.El Mousaoui vs. SharonovEl Mousaoui comes in at short notice as a replacement for injured Cedric Vitu and outpoints the tough but limited Sharonov. El Mousaoui rocked the Russian a few times with right crosses and some searing uppercuts but could not find a punch to end things. Sharonov lost a point in the third for a low punch and battled hard but El Mousaoui was just too good for him. Scores 80-71 twice and 79-73. The 29-year-old former EU champion had been re-thinking his career after losses to Jeff Horn and Ceferino Rodriguez but after eleven months of contemplation and with a win under his belt will be aiming to get back in to contention for the EU or EBU titles.Ladispoli, Italy: Heavy: Luca D’Ortenzi (10-1) W TKO 8 Sergio Romano (10-13-3).Local boxer D’Ortenzi wins the vacant Italian title with stoppage of Romano. Over the first two rounds “Gentleman” D’Ortenzi found plenty of space and outboxed “Wild Boar” Romano. In the third Romano pressed harder and cut down D’Ortenzi’s space getting inside and working well. The fight was close over the fourth and fifth but in the sixth D’Ortenzi rockedRomano with punches and then had him in deep trouble with a left hook. Romano made it to the bell although taking more punishment and he fought his way through the seventh. D’Ortenzi wrote the final chapter in the eighth. A heavy right stunnedRomano and although he stayed upright another booming punch had the referee stepping in to save Romano. D’Ortenzi, 21, lost a close verdict to Salvatore Erittu for the Italian cruiser title in July last year and at 6’1” and under 210lbs he is small by today’s heavyweight standards. Romano was having his second shot at this title having been beaten on points by Fabio Turchi also in July last year.Kingston, Jamaica: Heavy: Vladimir Tereshkin (21-0-1) W RTD 8 Williams Ocando (21-9). Light: Headley Scott (14-1) W PTS 8 Jesus Laguna (22-16-3).Tereshkin vs. OcandoRussian southpaw Tereshkin towered over cruiserweight Ocampo and had about 50lbs weight advantage. Tereshkin was able to use his height and longer reach to work Ocando over at distance. Ocando showed some good head movement as he duck around and under Tereshkin's jabs but he was too small to be really competitive. Tereshkin was able to force Ocando to the ropes and batter away to head and body. It was never anything but a lost cause for Ocando and he did not come out for the ninth round. The 6’6” Russian has won his last 13 fights by KO/TKO but no real tests in his list of victims. Venezuelan Ocando loses whenever he gets adventurous over his opposition and this is his eighth defeat by KO/TKO.Scott vs. LagunaScott, born in New York but a Rastafarian of Jamaican decent, hustled, bustled and bullied Laguna all the way taking every round with the judges all scoring the fight 80-72 for Scott. His loss was a stoppage against unbeaten Giovanni Mioletti in November and this is his third win since then. Laguna drops to Rosarito, Mexico: Middle; Luis Ramon Campas (108-17-3) W RTD 5 Alexis Canett (12-3-2).Former IBF light middle champion “Yori Boy” Campas makes one of his rare appearances and grinds down inexperienced Canett. Campus just kept working the body of Canett. For a few rounds Canett was able to stand his ground and work inside with Campas but by the fifth he was exhausted and could hardly lift his arms and retired at the end of the round. Now 47 Campas has scored 82 wins by KO/TKO. It is now 32 years since he had his first pro fight. Canett just an inexperienced prelim level fighter.Tonala, Mexico: Super Light: Gabriel Valenzuela (18-2-1) W KO 4 Nery Saguilan (39-13-1).Valenzuela pushes a sliding Saguilan a bit further down the hill with a fourth round kayo. Valenzuela was on the attack from the start and scoring strongly to head and body. Saguilan tried to punch with him but was getting the worse of the exchanges. In the fourth a straight right crashed into the head of Saguilan and put him down and out. Valenzuela a 24-year-old from Guadalajara wins the vacant WBC Fecarbox title his first title as a pro. He extends his unbeaten run to 16 contests with his eleventh win by KO/TKO. The eccentric 31-year-old Saguilan was once flying high in the ranking but is now 2-8 in his last 10 fights.Managua, Nicaragua: Super Light: Francisco Fonseca (25-2-1) W TKO 7David Bency (14-11-1,1ND). Light: Freddy Fonseca (26-3-1) W Moises Olivas (14-13).Fonseca vs. BencyFonseca wears down and halts Bency. For the first two rounds the bigger Bency managed to hold his own against the powerful body punches of Fonseca. That was as good as it was going to get for gutsy Bency and from the third Fonseca slowly cut him down piling on the punishment until Bency was struggling in the seventh and the referee stepped in over Bency’s protests. Fonseca went 19-0-1 in his first 20 fights until knocked out in eight rounds by Gervonta Davis in a fight for the vacant IBF super feather title in 217. Davis failed to make the weight which is why the fight was for the vacant title. Fonseca had a second shot at the IBF title in December last year but lost on points against Tevin farmer. He has scored three inside the distance wins this year. Bency, really a super-light, now has four losses by KO/TKO.Fonseca vs. OlivasSouthpaw Freddy makes it a family double as he stops Olivas. Fonseca put Olivas down in the fourth and was punishing Olivas in the fifth when the fight was halted. In his last fight in May Fonseca was stopped in seven rounds by Joseph Diaz in a fight for the vacant WBA Gold title. Fonseca had kayoed Olivas in two rounds in May last year.Boquete, Panama: Feather: Bryan De Gracia (25-2-1) W RTD 1 Daniel Diaz (23-9-2).Super Fly: Luis Concepcion (38-8) W KO 4 Felix Moncada (9-11-1).De Gracia vs. DiazPanamanian De Gracia brushes aside Nicaraguan Diaz with ease. The hard-punchingDe Gracia floored Diaz twice. He also opened a gash on the left side of the visitor’s cheek and Diaz retired before the start of the second round. The 25-year-old “The Rock” blew any chance of a title shot this year when he was stopped in nine rounds by 21-1-3 Eduardo Ramirez in March but at 25 the chance will come again. This is win No 21 by KO/TKO for him. Diaz, 35, has been thrown in over his head quite a few times and suffered losses in the USA, Mexico and the Philippines.Concepcion vs. MoncadaConcepcion, a former holder of the secondary WBA fly and super fly titles, is given a gift in the shape of late substitute Moncada. After a slow start Concepcion punched too hard for the Nicaraguan. He got away with some questionable body punching before putting Moncada down in the fourth with a body punch-which Moncada complained was low-and that ended the fight. A necessary win for the 33-year-old Panamanian following consecutive losses to unbeaten fighters Andrew Moloney and Alex Marin. Sixth loss in a row for Moncada.Conroe, TX, USA: Light Heavy: Alfonso Lopez (31-3) W RTD 4 Alex Theran (21-4).Texan Lopez wins the vacant WBO NABO title with win over Colombian Theran. The 37-year-old Texan is in his twelfth year as a pro and with this title and nine wins in a row he may find himself in the WBO ratings. Once a star of the Colombian amateur scene Theran went 17-1 at the start of his time as a pro but inside the distance losses to Tureano Johnson and Radivoje Kalajdzic have blunted his ambitions. Ekaterinburg, Russia: Super Feather: Muhammadkhuja Yaqubov (14- ) W KO 2 Jhon Gemino (20-12-1).Yaqubov crushes Filipino Gemino with a devastating body punch. Yaqubov pressed hard in the first but Gemino managed to avoid any real trouble. In the second Yaqubov landed two good southpaw lefts to the body and then drove home a third that sent Gemino to the floor in agony. He rolled around and then lay face down on the canvas and never looked likely to make it to his feet. Tajikistan southpaw Yaqubov, 24, is WBC International champion and rated No 13 by that body. This is his ninth win by KO/TKO and he looks very useful. Gemino had won his last three fights including a victory in Japan and a win over 22-1 Carlos Ornelas in Mexico so he looked capable of testing Yaqubov until that body punch landed. Cordoba, Argentina: Middle: Francisco Torres (13-3) W PTS 10 Jonathan Sanchez (15-4-1).Torres outpoints Sanchez to win the “Copa Carlos Monzon Super 8” tournament. This was an even fight over the first four rounds but then Torres took control and dominated the action. He outboxed Sanchez and stayed cool despite Sanchez’s using his elbows and employing his head as a third fist. The skill, movement and counter-punching of Torres hovered up the rounds and a frustrated Sanchez was lucky only to suffer one deduction for a butt in the sixth. Scores 98-92 twice and 97-92. Torres also wins the vacant Argentinian title. He was very much an outsider when this Tournament started but he beat two of the favourite’s Alan Castano and Gonzalo Coria on the way to the final so deserved to emerge the winner. Sanchez had won his last three fights.Toowoomba, Australia: Light: Gaige Ireland (7-3-2) W TKO 4 Brent Rice (8-2). Ireland regains the Australian lightweight title with stoppage win over Rice. The stoppage was due to a cut above the right eye of Rice. Ireland had lost the title to Jacob Ng in his first defence in December. Former Australian super feather champion Rice had dropped his national title in his second defence in November.Fight of the week (Significance): Tony Yoka’s stoppage of Alex Dimitrenko was a big result for French boxing and there are some good young fighters there who can fly on his coattails Fight of the week (Entertainment): Marcus Morrison vs. Emanuele Blandamura was action all the way with honourable mention to Jamal James vs. Antonio De MarcoFighter of the week: I go for Ronny Rios for his win over Diego De La Hoya with honourable mention to Daniel Dubois for his crushing victory over Nathan GormanPunch of the week:Marcus Morrison’s right hook that put away Emanuele Blandamura was special and the body punch from Muhammadkhuja Yaqubov that finished Jhon Gemino was devastatingUpset of the week: Joe Noynay beating highly touted Olympian Satoshi Shimizu was a big surprise as was Roger Gutierrez destroying 28-0 Eduardo Hernandez inside a round.Prospect watch: Featherweight Loreto Dlamini 13-1was a revelation in beating Dave Penalosa and Joseph Adorno 13-0 again showed his KO power and is a lightweight to watch.

​Highlights:-Nourdine Oubaali beats Arthur Villanueva on a sixth round retirement in WBC bantam title defence-Kanat Islam returns to action with a 14 second blow out of Dominican Julio De Jesus-Sebastian Formella wins the IBO welterweight title with decision over champion Thulani Mbenge and on the same show Igor Mikhaylenko wins the vacant IBO interim light heavy title with unanimous decision over Timur Nikarkhoev-Nick Hannig keeps hold of the WBC International title with draw against Ryno Liebenberg-Tommy Frank retains the Commonwealth super flyweight title with stoppage of John ChuwaWORLD TITLE SHOWSJuly 6Astana, Kazakhstan: Bantam: Nordine Oubaali (16-0) W RTD 6 Arthur Villanueva (32-4-1). Welter: Zhankosh Turarov (24-0) W TKO 3 Mauro Godoy (31-5-1). Feather: David Oliver Joyce (11-0) W PTS 10 Breilor Teran (27-18-1). Light: Viktor Kotochigov (11-0) W PTS 10 Jairo Lopez (24-12,1ND).Light: Sultan Zaurbek (8-0) W TKO 7 Giorgio Gachechiladze (11-34-1).Cruiser: Ali Baloyev (9-0) W PTS 8 Hamilton Ventura (15-7-1). Super Welter: Abilkhaiyr Shegaliyev (6-0) W PTS 8 Elvin Akhundzada (4-2).Oubaali vs. VillanuevaOubaali retains the WBC title with classy and powerful performance against Filipino challenger Villanueva who retires after six rounds.Round 1Oubaali quickly put Villanueva on the back foot. The Filipino tried some right leads but Oubaali picked them off and connected with lefts.Score: 10-9 OubaaliRound 2The second was a bit closer. Villanueva managed to get on the front foot and connected with some rights. Oubaali had the quicker hands and when he cornered Villanueva he scored with right hooks and a straight left. Oubaali was the one landing at the bell.Score: 10-9 OubaaliOubaali 20-18Round 3Oubaali upped the pace in this one. He was marching in firing clusters of hooks and uppercuts. Villanueva fired back but was taking a lot more than he was giving and was again being caught with quick combinations at the bell.Score: 10-9 OubaaliOubaali 30-27Round 4The pace dropped a little with Oubaali throwing less but still with speed and accuracy. Villanueva continued to try to get close to nullify Oubaali’s speed but the champion was landing rapid right jabs and straight lefts.Score: 10-9 Oubaali Oubaali 40-36Round 5Oubaali move up a gear in this round. He was forcing Villanueva back with jabs and then connecting with lefts to the head. Anytime Villanueva threw a punch and missed he was made to pay by a range of counters and although he fought back hard at the end of the round he was taking plenty of punishment.Score: 10-9 OubaaliOubaali 50-45Round 6Oubaali was boxing smoothly in the sixth and finding gaps in the Filipino’s guard. As Villanueva took a step forward Oubaali countered him with a left and a right to the temple and Villanueva dropped to one knee. He was up quickly and ready to resume after the count. Oubaali stormed after Villanueva connecting with hooks and uppercuts. Villanueva fired back enough to be able to stay on his feet but was rocked with hooks just before the bell.Score 10-8 OubaaliOubaali 60-53Villanueva retired in the corner.Impressive display by 32-year-old Frenchman Oubaali in his first defence of the WBC title which he won with a points decision over Rau’shee Warren in January. He showed quick skills and strong, accurate punching. There are tougher tests out there in the shape of WBC No 1 Luis Nery, No 2 Carlos Cuadras and No 3 Jason Moloney but on this form he is a match for them. In 2017 Villanueva, 30, lost on points to Zolani Tete for the interim WBO bantam title and was also stopped by Luis Nery. He had a win and a draw in two low level fights in 2018 so his credentials as a challenger were questionable. Turarov vs. GodoyLocal fighter Turarov crushes Godoy in third round. Turarov was hunting down a retreating Godoy in the first and connected with some rights to the body. Godoy caught Turarov with a sneaky right counter but Turarov landed a hard combination before Godoy launched a series of punches just before the bell with a couple landing but lacking snap. Turarov had looked dangerous with rights in the opener and he was throwing more of those in the second but Godoy was moving and jabbing and Turarov just could not nail the Argentinian. Turarov continued to prowl after the back-peddling Godoy in the third with a quick left hook right cross combination signalling danger. Turarov forced Godoy to the ropes and an overhand right to the temple saw Godoy start to drop and a last left hook caught Godoy as he fell to his knees and was counted out. The 28-year-old Florida-based Kazak wins the vacant WBO Inter-Continental title which should get him a rating. He had dropped out of the rankings after almost two years of inactivity which he ended with a victory over Ghanaian Richmond Djarbeng last month. He has 17 wins by KO/TKO. “King” Godoy fails to last the distance for only the second time in his 37 fights.Joyce vs. TeranJoyce outpoints Venezuelan Teran. No problems for the former star of Irish boxing as he took the decision on scores of 100-86, 100-87 and 100-89. Teran was dangerous at times with counters but Joyce was always in command. As Teran tired over the second half of the fight he was deducted a point for holding in the seventh and the rounds were one-sided enough for a couple of the judges to score those 10-8 without a knockdown. The 32-year-old Irishman won a gold medal three times at the European Union Championships competed at the 2016 Olympics and scored wins over Luke Campbell and Carl Frampton in the amateurs. In both this and a fight in April he was still officially under suspension from the New York Commission. The 34-year-old Teran has mixed in high quality company but has always come up short.Kotochigov vs. LopezImportant win for Kotochigov as he takes unanimous decision over tough Mexican Lopez to win the vacant WBC International title. Kotochigov took the decision on scores of 99-91, 99-93 and 98-93. Already a world traveller Kazak Kotochigov, 26, has fought as a pro in Uzbekistan, China, Russia, Germany, Abkhazia, Poland, United Kingdom and Kazakhstan. Lopez has been in with tough competition including Luke Campbell, Jose Felix and Tomas Rojas.Zaurbek vs. GachechiladzeZaurbek halts Georgian Gachechiladze for his sixth win by KO/TKO. It almost ended early as Zaurbek floored the little Georgian in the first round but Gachechiladze survive before being beaten in submission in the seventh. The 23-year-old UK-based Zaurbek was a silver medallist at the World Youth Championships. The 5’3” Gachechiladze broke a 15 bout losing streak with a win in Spain in last month. Baloyev vs. VenturaKyrgyzstan born Kazak Baloyev is taken the distance for only the second time as he outpoints Brazilian Ventura. The decision was unanimous for the Las Vegas-based 26-year-old Baloyev. Ventura, 36, has lost four in a row all against unbeaten fighters.Shegaliyev vs. AkhundzadaShegaliyev had won his last four fights each inside the first round and he came close to doing the same here as he put Azeri Akhundzada down twice in the opening round. Akhundzada made it out of the round but was on the floor again in the second. Having survived those three knockdowns he went on to take Shegaliyev the distance although losing a very wide unanimous decision. The 24-year-old Uzbekistan-born Shegaliyev effectively doubled his number of pro rounds in this fight so some useful ring time. Second loss in a row for Akhundzada.July 5Almatay, Kazakhstan: Super Welter: Kanat Islam (26-0) W KO 1 Julio De Jesus (27-2).Islam crushes De Jesus in just 14 seconds. The first punch Islam landed was a crushing overhand right that sent De Jesus reeling into a corner. Two more chopping rights sent De Jesus face down on the canvas and the referee immediately waived the fight over. Islam, 34, Chinese-born of Kazak ancestry, wins the vacant WBO Inter-Continental title with victory No 21 by KO/TKO. As Hanati Silamu he won bronze medals for China at the 2008 Olympics and the 2007 World Championships. This is his first fight since September 2017 so he has dropped out of the ratings but is a real danger man. Dominican De Jesus, 37, has impressive looking statistics but had never met any fighter of note and was unrated.Madrid, Spain: Super Bantam: Alvaro Rodriguez (10-3-1,1ND) W PTS 10 David Sanchez (14-9). 5Rodriguez retains the Spanish title with win over former victim Sanchez. Over the first two rounds the fight saw plenty of action with Rodriguez working well at distance and Sanchez having success inside with hooks. In the third a left hook from Rodriguez put Sanchez over. Sanchez beat the count but in trying to get back into the fight was caught with hard counters. After four rounds Rodriguez was up 39-36 on two cards and 38-37 on the third. Sanchez tried to take the fight to Rodriguez but the champion was stronger and Sanchez was under constant pressure spending too much time against the ropes. At the end of seven rounds Rodriguez had increased his lead being in front 69-62, 69-63 and 68-63 and he continued to outscore Sanchez in the eighth and ninth then just concentrated on avoiding Sanchez in the last. Scores 98-91, 97-91 and 95-93. The 33-year-old “Ardi” is 4-0-1,1ND in six title fights including a points win over Sanchez in 2017. Sanchez 35 was having his first fight since November 2017.Sheffield, England: Super Fly: Tommy Frank (11) W TKO 7 John Chuwa (17-4). Feather: Josh Wale (28-11-2) W KO 1 Ekow Wilson (18-4).Frank vs. ChuwaFrank breaks down and halts Chuwa in seven rounds to retain the Commonwealth title. Frank was marching forward in the opening round with Chuwa showing plenty of defensive movement and throwing jabs but lacking any power. Frank continued to hunt Chuwa in the second but he was being frustrated by Chuwa’s clever upper body movement and wide hooks. In the third Chuwa was ducking under Frank’s punches and ended up ducking so low he was sitting on the bottom ropes so was given a count. Frank was starting to find the target with stiff jabs and left hooks Frank kept up the pressure and Chuwa began to tire in the fourth and all of his earlier movement was gone. Frank began to score with jabs, hooks and uppercuts on an arm-weary Chuwa in the fifth and sixth. Frank finished it in the seventh. He walked forward landing strong left hooks to the body and clubbing rights to the head. He walked Chuwa into a corner connecting with rights and as an exhausted Chuwa dropped to a knee the referee stopped the fight. Frank, 25, fighting in his home city, was making the first defence of the title he won with a victory over Luke Wilton in March. Chuwa, 21 suffers his first inside the distance loss and his third defeat in his last four fights.Wale vs. WilsonWale beats Ghanaian Wilson inside a round. Both fighters stood and traded some hard punches with left hooks to the body from Frank catching the eye. Eventually those hooks and some head punches forced Wilson across the ring and into a corner. Wale kept him trapped there switching punches to head and body. Just as Wilson seemed to have escaped from the corner a left hook to the ribs saw him turn away and collapse to his knees. The referee started the count but it was obvious Wilson was in too much pain to get up and the referee waived the fight over. The 31-year-old Wale gets win No 14 by KO/TKO. This was a Commonwealth title eliminator so Wale, a former British champion, will get a third shot at winning the title that has eluded him so far. Wilson loses when he tries to step up but he had gone into the tenth round before being stopped by former world champion Joseph Agbeko in September.Santiago, Chile: Super Bantam: Jose Velasquez (26-6-2) W TKO 7 Ramon Averanga (9-1). Velasquez extends his winning streak to 18 with seventh round stoppage of Bolivian Averanga. The little Chilean as usually gave away lots of height and reach and Averanga proved a tough opponent over the first three rounds. From the fourth Velasquez’s greater strength and fitness told and Averanga began to fade. Velasquez was walking through Averanga’s punches in the seventh and bludgeoned the Bolivian to the canvas. Averanga was up at eight. The referee stepped back and signalled Averanga to walk towards him. Instead Averanga startedwalkingaway but the referee caught him and turned him to face him and then signalled for the fight to continue. Velasquez continued to drive Averanga along the ropes until the Bolivian dropped to one knee and the towel came in from his corner. The 5’ 2 ½” Velasquez wins the WBO Latino belt and has 18 wins by KO/TKO. Although No 15 with the WBO his opposition has not been strong and his defence is leaky. Averanga is now 3-1 in fights in Chile.Aviles vs. GodoyGrugliasco, Italy: Feather: Francesco Grandelli (12-1-1) W PTS 10 Nicola Cipolletta (14-8-2).Grandelli wins the vacant Italian title with victory over Cipolletta. Grandelli made the better start and floored Cipolletta in the third to move into a commanding lead. He had Cipolletta in trouble later in the fight and Cipolletta was deducted a point after losing his mouthguard four times. Cipolletta fought hard trying to get back into the fight but the heavier punching from Grandelli gave him an edge and he emerged a clear winner. Scores 97-92 twice and 98-91for Grandelli/ The 24-year old from Naples was inactive for a year before returning with a win in April. Former national featherweight champion Cipolletta falls to 1-4 in his last 5 fightsJune 6Weisbaden, Germany: Light Heavy: Nick Hannig (7-0-1) DREW 12 Ryno Liebenberg (19-6-1).Light: Howik Bebraham (15-1) W KO 1 David Berna (17-9). Welter: Roman Belaev (19-3) W PTS 8 Betuel Ushona (36-9-1).Hannig vs. LiebenbergHannig retains the WBC International title with a majority draw against South African Liebenberg. The Berliner took position in the centre of the ring and edged the first round with some crisp hooks. Liebenberg put on plenty of pressure in the second and third but Hannig was working well inside. Liebenberg landed some of his best punches so far in the fourth but was behind on two cards 40-36 and 39-37 with the third cards seeing them tied at 38-38. Liebenberg looked to have clawed back the points with a strong attack in the fifth and sixth but Hannig found his rhythm again in the seventh and eighth which were close. After the eighth Hannig had held on to his lead at 78-74 and 77-75 with once again the third official having them level at 76-76. The fight swung one way and then the other in the closing rounds with Hannig landing well with body shots but Liebenberg doing most of the scoring finding gaps for some hard rights and doing enough to come from behind to get a well deserved draw. Scores 114-114 twice and 115113 for Hannig. Hannig was making the first defence of the title he won with a close decision over Canadian Ryan Ford in February. Hannig has only just scraped through in winning that fight and at 32 may find it difficult to climb any higher. The 35-year-old Liebenberg has had no luck in Germany. He lost a split decision to Enrico Koelling and was stopped on a cut against Vincent Feigenbutz when he looked to be taking control of the fight. He is the ABU champion having won that with a stoppage of Alfonso Tissen in September.Bebrahamvs. BernaIn a horrible mismatch Bebraham stops the china-chinned Berna. Bebraham was on target quickly with left jabs and left hooks. Berna tried some jabs but every time Bebraham threw a punch Berna seemed to get his feet tangled and staggered. After some more sparring Bebraham threw a right cross that looked to just brush past Berna’s chin but he fell face down on the floor. He was up at eight but when the referee asked him to step forward he was unsteady and the referee stopped the fight after 111 seconds. Fourth inside the distance win for Bebraham but no real surprise as Hungarian Berna has lost his last four fights inside the first round. He needs someone to save him from himself.Belaev vs. UshonaBelaev gets a revenge win over Ushona. It was pressure, pressure and more pressure from Belaev. Ushona was reluctant to back up so there were plenty of meaty exchanges. Although spending much of the fight pinned to the ropes Ushona used his experience to stay in the fight and was always dangerous with counters but was outlanded by the aggressive Belaev who took the unanimous decision. Germany-based Russian Belaev won his first 14 fights but he then found Africa rings a inhospitable place as he lost to Ali Funeka and Paul Kamanga in South Africa and to Ushona in Namibia for the WBFederation title. He was having his first fight for 17 months here but intends to be more active. Now 37 Ushona has found German rings inhospitable as this is his third loss in a row in GermanyHamburg, Germany: Welter: Sebastian Formella (21-0) W PTS 12 Thulani Mbenge (15-1). Light Heavy: Igor Mikhalkin (23-2) W PTS 12 Timur Nikarkhoev (21-3).Cruiser: Nikola Milacic (20-1) W KO 1 Kai Kurzawa (38-8). Heavy: Erik Pfeifer (6-0) W TKO 3 Epifiano Mendoza (43-29-1).Formella vs. MbengeFormella wins the IBO title with unanimous decision over champion Mbenge. Formella boxed cleverly early showing good movement and quick hands. Mbenge started to roll from the third connecting with hard rights. Over the middle rounds Mbenge began to build a lead with a focused body attack. Unfortunately Formella constantly claimed that many of the legal blows were landing low which both led to Mbenge being cautious about going to the body too often and more importantly led to the referee deducting a point from Mbenge in the ninth. Formella staged a strong finish as Mbenge seemed to lose some impetus and that just gave the Germany the edge in the scoring. The judges saw it 116-112, 115-112 and 114-113 for Formella. The 32-year-old German gets his biggest win to date. Mbenge was making the second defence of his title. He has inside the distance wins over Diego Chaves and Miguel Vazquez. The contract included a return clause and Mbenge’s team say they will enforce that. Mikhalkin vs. NikarkhoevIBO have followed the course of the other sanctioning fee seekers by introducing interim titles and Russian Mikhalkin picked up their interim title here with a win over Belgian-based Nikarkhoev. Mikhalkin was just too accomplished for Nikarkhoev to really threaten Mikhalkin’s dominance. The Russian out boxed Nikarkhoev behind a stiff, accurate right jab and potent left hooks. He had Nikarkhoev rocking in the sixth but apart from that he never really looked likely to halt Nikarkhoev and had to settle for a points victory. Scores 120-108 twice and 119-109 tell the story. The 34-year-old Mikhalkin served a one year ban after testing positive for a banned substance in a European title defence against Patrick Bois in 2016. He scored good wins over Thomas Oosthuizen and Doudou Ngumbu before losing on a seventh round stoppage when challenging Sergey Kovalev for the WBO title in March last year. Nikarkhoev had won his last seven fights but this was too big a step up for him.Milacic vs. KurzawaMilacic gets speedy win as he puts veteran Kurzawa down and out in 40 seconds. Kurzawa was coming forward when Milacic exploded a right to his chin and Kurzawa went down and was counted out. The 6’5” German has provided early endings in nine of his last ten fights but needs stiffer tests. Kurzawa, 42, has been stopped early in four of his last five contests.Pfeifer vs. MendozaPfeifer gets his fourth inside the distance win over a fat and old Mendoza. After a couple of one-sided rounds Mendoza’s corner pulled their man out of the fight in the third. The 32-year-old 6’3” Russian-born German competed at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and twice won a bronze medal at the World Championships. Mendoza, 43, weighed down at 150lbs when he turned pro but is now up around 250lbs. This is seventh loss in his last eight fights.Barranquilla, Colombia: Fly: Rober Barrera (23-2) W PTS 10Josber Perez (16-2). Super Welter: Gabriel Maestre (1-0) W TKO 2Jeovanis Barraza (20-1). Super Feather: Angel Rodriguez (18-1) W TKO 5 Julian Aristule (34-11,1ND). Bantam: Yoel Finol (1-0) W KO 4 Jeyson Cervantes (8-18-1).Barrera vs. PerezBarrera was the only Colombian to win one of the major fights on the night. The local fighter was give a torrid night by Venezuelan Perez. There was never much between these two but the body punching from Barrera proved decisive. A left hook to the body put Perez on the floor in the fifth and although he beat the count it was enough to give Barrera the impetus to push on to a narrow victory. Scores 97-92 , 96-93 and 95-94 for Barrera. The 26-year-old Colombian has won 11 of his last 12 fights with the loss being a ninth round stoppage against Ryoichi Taguchi for the WBA light Fly title in 2017. Perez had won his last 13 fights but against moderate level foes.Maestre vs. Barraza When you see a fighter having his first pro fight being matched with a guy with a 20-0 record you know there is more to it than meets the eye. This marked the first pro fight for one of Venezuela’s most successful amateurs. Maestre got this one over quickly but with a bit of controversy. Maestre shook Barraza with a right to the head in the first then had him hurt again in the second as he connected with shots switching from body to head. A body punch put Barraza down with the Colombian protesting the punch was low. He beat the count but was put down again. He made it to his feet but Maestre was punishing him heavily and the referee stopped the fight. Maestre wins the vacant WBA Fedebol title. Maestre was a quarter-finalist at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. He also won gold medals at the Pan American Games and the South American Games and a bronze at the World Championships. All good stuff but at 32 he has left it too late to turn pro. Colombian welter champion Barraza had not met anyone nearly as high quality as Maestre.Rodriguez v. AristuleMexican-based Venezuelan Rodriguez halted Argentinian southpaw Aristule in five rounds. Rodriguez came out fired-up but Aristule initially held his own as they went toe-to-toe. Gradually the harder punching of Rodriguez put him in charge and as he focused on body punching Aristule wilted and he was under heavy pressure in the fifth when the referee stopped the fight. Ninth win by KO/TKO for Rodriguez, a former Pan American Games bronze medallist He registers his tenth win on the bounce. Fifth loss by KO/TKO for former Argentinian super bantam champion AristuleFinol vs. CervantesFinol makes it a double for debuting former members of the Venezuelan amateur elite ranks. Finol hurt Cervantes with body punches in each of the first two rounds and put him down with a left hook in the third. Cervantes managed to get to his feet and survived to the bell. In the fourth another body shot floored Cervantes and this time he stayed down for the full ten. The 22-year-old Venezuelan won bronze medals at the World Championships, the Pan American Games and the 2016 Olympics. Seventh loss in his last eight bouts for Colombian Cervantes. Both Maestre and Finol have both said they expect to fight at the 2020 Olympics.Tokyo, Japan: Super Feather: Kenichi Ogawa (24-1,1ND) W RTD 4 Glenn Medura (10-6-1). Super Feather: Shuya Masaki (13-1) W PTS 10 Al Toyogon (10-4-1).Ogawa vs. MeduraOgawa was to have faced South African Azinga Fuzile in an IBF title eliminator but Fuzile was unable to get his visa in time so Filipino Medura stepped in at short notice. Ogawa landed some right hooks in the first and then sent Medura down with a couple of body punches in the second. Ogawa had Medura trapped against the ropes for periods in the third and Medura took another count. Ogawa continued to paste Medura with punches in the fourth and the Filipino retired before the start of the fifth. The 31year-old Ogawa scored a unanimous points win over Tevin Farmer for the vacant IBF super feather title in December 2017 but the verdict was changed to No Decision as Ogawa tested positive for a banned substance. Ogawa was then inactive until returning with a win in February. It remains to be seen whether the Fuzile fight will be rescheduled. Medura, who came in as a late substitute, falls to 2-5 in his last 7 fights with all 5 losses coming by way of KO/TKO.Masaki vs. ToyogonMasaki moves up to ten rounds and gets wide decision over young Filipino Toyogon. Masaki had edges in height and reach and was much more mobile than Toyogon. He worked well to the body and connected with plenty of hard combinations but Toyogon took the lumps and lasted the distance. Scores 100-90 for Masaki on the three cards. The 25-year-old from Osaka was 54-8 as an amateur and is No 3 in the Japanese ratings. At 5’4” the 21-year-old Toyogon is small for a super feather but was a decent 5-1 in his last 6.Rzeszow, Poland: Heavy: Lukasz Rozanski (11-0) W KO 4 Izuagbe Ugonoh (18-2). Light Heavy: Marek Matyja (16-1-2) DREW 10 Pawel Stepien (12-0-1). Middle: Fedir Cherkashyn (13-0) W PTS 10 Wes Capper (20-3-1). Middle: Kamil Szeremeta (20-0) W PTS 8 Edwin Palacios (12-10-1).Rozanski vs. UgonohRozanski steam rollers Ugonoh to defeat in four rounds. Rozanski was marching forward taking the fight to Ugonoh in the first and dominated the round with Ugonoh not throwing much and seemingly waiting for an opening that did not come. Rozanski continued to plough into Ugonoh in the second and although Ugonoh did land some rights they did not stop Rozanski and he put Ugonoh down in the third. In the fourth Rozanski drove Ugonoh to the ropes and kept punching until Ugonoh collapse to the canvas and was counted out. Rozanski, 33, gets his ninth win in a row by KO/TKO. Ugonoh, a Pole of Nigerian descent, won 17 consecutive victories before being knocked out in five rounds by Dominic Breazeale in February 2017. He had one fight in May 2016 and this was his first fight since then.Matyja vs. StepienThis one ended all even with a controversial drawn verdict. Stepien boxed well on the outside to take the first before Matyja found a way into the fight by moving inside late in the second. Stepien scored well with his jab and long rights to edge the third and the fifth with Matyja connecting with hooks to even things up taking the fourth and sixth. Over the last four rounds Stepien chose to box and counter and his good defensive work offered few chances to Matyja and he looked to have done enough to take the decision. The judges scored it 96-94 for Stepien, 97-93 for Matyja which looked way out, and 95-95 so the Polish title remains vacant. Matyja is no stranger to split verdicts as his loss and his other draw have both been splits. Stepien had won his last seven by KO/TKO and already holds the Polish International title.Cherkashyn vs. CapperCherkashyn takes every round in contest against former undefeated Australian champion Capper. The unconventional style of Cherkashyn made it difficult for Capper to settle into the fight. The young Ukrainian was landing with strong left hooks to the body and straight rights in every round. His hands down style features lots of ducking and dodging and changing of angles. Capper had trouble finding the target but he stuck to his task pressing hard and scoring well in the fourth and sixth but that was not quite enough to win him even those rounds as Cherkashyn outlanded him. Capper seemed to fade over the closing rounds as Cherkashyn cruised to victory, Scores 100-90 from all three judges. First ten round fight for twenty-three-year-old Cherkashyn who had stopped oldie Kassim Ouma, a former IBF super welter champion, in March. Capper, 30, was 9-0-1 going into this one with a draw against Sam Soliman in March last year.Szeremeta vs. PalaciosEuropean champion Szeremeta gets in some paid sparring as he waits for a big fight to emerge. He really never really shifted out of low gear in this bout easily outboxing Nicaraguan Palacios. The visitor managed to land a few punches in the fourth and from the sixth Szeremeta shifted from first to second gear rocking Palacios with hooks and the Nicaraguan went deep into his shell to survive to the last. Scores 80-72 twice and 79-73 for Szeremeta. The 29-year-old Pole is ranked WBC 3/IBF 4(3)/WBA 5 but would probably have to go to America and beat a name fighter to raise his profile. Six losses in a row for Palacios.Doncaster, England: Light: Maxi Hughes (19-4-2) W TKO 4 Kieran McLaren (12-1-1).Local southpaw boxer Hughes makes an impressive return to action as he floors and halts unbeaten McLaren in the fourth round. Hughes was sharp from the start. He boxed with speed and accuracy over the first two rounds and began breaking McLaren down in the third. He was opening up McLaren’s guard and landing with hooks and lefts to the head. A series of punches put McLaren down early in the fourth. McLaren beat the count but was dropped again by a shot to the body and the referee stopped the fight. Hughes has lost in two challenges for the British super feather title and is now aiming for a chance at the lightweight belt. McLaren was coming off a creditable draw with Lee Appleyard but Hughes was just too good for him on the night.Fight of the week (Significance): Nordine Oubaali’s successful defence of his WBC titlewins this award and it will hopefully lead to stiffer tests or a unification fight. Fight of the week (Entertainment) Roman Belaev vs. Betuel Ushona was an entertaining eight rounderFighter of the week: Nordine Oubaali with honourable mention to Kanat Islam who sent out danger signals to other super weltersPunch of the week: The devastating overhand right from Islam that led to his 14 second win over Julio de JesusUpset of the week: NoneProspect watch: Although only 1-0 as a pro Venezuelan Yoel Finol is worth watching.

​There seems to be no end to the greed and stupidity of the major sanctioning bodies. It does not matter how many or how contrived the existing titles are there is always room for more titles and for more sanctioning fees. When at cruiserweight the WBA found they had four champions but only three “world” titles–super, secondary and interim-they invented a Gold title. This from the guys who proudly trumpeted their intention to have only one champion in every division. Hypocrisy rules OK! Of course if the WBA have a new title then the WBO have to have one as well. We have already had Gold, Silver and Diamond titles foisted on us so the WBO to top those have introduced a Global title. According to my dictionary Global means “worldwide”. Which raises the question of what a World title covers? I pity any boxing enthusiast who finds himself trying to explain to someone who does not follow boxing just what the differenceis between being a World champion and a Global champion.​The latest effort from the WBC just beggars belief. They have now designated Saul Alvarez as their “Franchise Champion”. According to the WBC missive their Franchise Champion (and of course there will be yet more Franchise Champions to follow) will:

“Proudly represent the WBC in every single fight as a reigning WBC champion, regardless of any specific conditions or titles being associated with all future fights. WBC rules and regulations will govern under the traditional conditions of boxing in the Franchise champion’s fights. WBC will approve through the Franchise champion’s promoter every opponent scheduled to fight.”

What that means is that even if Saul Alvarez were to challenge Sergey Kovalev for the WBO light heavyweight title then as it involves their Franchise champion, that fight will be under the rules and regulations of the WBC-even though Alvarez is the challenger and fighting out of his division-and the WBC will have to approve of Kovalev or any other fighter/champion who intends to fight Alvarez. No mention there of who gets the sanctioning fee! I can’t imagine the IBF, WBA or WBO accepting such a thing and neither can I envisage Alvarez walking away from a big fight for an IBF, WBA or WBO title just because the WBC have invented a title aimed at associating themselves with every title Alvarez fights for. As if that is not bad enough the WBC reserves the right to also recognise a (another) champion in a division or divisions in which Alvarez (or any other Franchise champion they may appoint) competes and that effectively could mean the WBC having a world champion and a Franchise champion in as many divisions as they like and so devaluing the title even further.Alvarez next fight is scheduled for 14 September and there all types of hats being thrown in the ring. Golden Boy have stated their interest in an Alvarez vs. Kovalev fight for the WBO light heavy title but the barrier there is that Kovalev is mandated to defend the WBO title against Anthony Yarde and negotiations for that fight are said to be well advanced. Obviously Alvarez vs. Kovalev would be a huge fight much bigger than Kovalev vs. Yarde as the British challenger is still relatively unknown. Kovalev could choose to go ahead with the Yarde fight and face Alvarez at a later date, but that would be a risky choice. Alternatively Kovalev could relinquish the WBO title or Yarde could be offered a sum of money to stand aside and let the Alvarez vs. Kovalev fight take place with a guarantee he could fight the winner but that too would be risky for Yarde as guarantees can sometimes turn out to be pie in the sky.ESPN want Alvarez for Demetrius Andrade. Even as a two-division champion Andrade’s profile is not mega high yet but obviously a win over Alvarez would change that. His fight with Brandon Adams last week was not one to set the pulses racing but in the end whether he lands the Alvarez fight will come down to money. Brits Callum Smith and Billy Joe Saunders would love the chance as would a certain Mr Golovkin. Everyone wants a piece of Canelo.For any fight involving Alvarez you are talking serious money but not all fights are multi-million dollar affairs. For his title defence against Ray Beltran IBF lightweight champion Richard Commey’s purse was $350K and it was boosted by a further $20K from Beltran’s original purse of $160K due to Beltran failing to make the weight. Other purses were £50K for Patrick Day, $30K for his opponent Carlos Adames, $30K for Saul Rodriguez, which will not really soften the blow of his suffering his first pro defeat, just $5K for his conqueror Miguel Angel Gonzalez and $15K each for heavyweights Junior Fa and Dominic Guinn.The build up to Manny Pacquiao vs. Keith Thurman continues with Thurman constituting a much bigger danger to Pacquiao than Adrien Broner. Whilst the focus is on Pacquiao the boxer he is also still an active force in Philippines politics and this week Pacquiao introduced a bill in the legislator to reintroduce capital punishment for major drug trafficking convictions. In the next session of Congress reportedly Pacquiao also intends to introduce bills banning smoking in public places and one to set up in the Philippines an equivalent to the US Department of Homeland Security. ​The undercard for the Pacquiao vs. Thurman WBA title fight also features another world title fight with Caleb Plant defending the IBF super middle title against unbeaten Mike Lee. Also on the card are fights between Yordenis Ugas and Omar Figueroa Jr at welter, Luis Nery and Juan Carlos Payano at bantam, Sergey Lipinets vs. John Molina Jr at welter and unbeaten heavy Efe Ajagba vs. Ali Eren Demirezen.​Negotiations for the Denis Lebedev vs. Arsen Goulamirian fight have broken down. Lebedev was recently reinstated as Super champion at cruiser by the WBA and Goulamirian was promoted from Gold champion to secondary champion. It looks likely now that the WBA will put the fight out to purse offers

One purse bidding process that was completed saw World of Boxing win the right to stage Danny Romero’s WBA super bantam title defence against Uzbek Murodjon Akhmadaliev with a bid of $145,000. There was only one bidder and with Akhmadaliev having had just six fights and being virtually unknown it was not too surprising the bid was relatively low and there was only one bid receive.

Whilst much of the interest in the bantamweight division is cantered on the fight between Naoya Inoue and Nonito Donaire WBC champion Nordine Oubaali will defend his title on Saturday against Filipino Arthur Villanueva on a big show in Kazakhstan. There are some excellent local prospects on the undercard. MTK Global, Top Rank and ESPN are all touting Kazakhstan as the next big growth area in boxing. Oubaali will be making the first defence of the title he won with unanimous points decision over Rau’shee Warren in January. He is managed by his brother Ali Oubaali who fought for the European super featherweight title back in 2004 and ended with a 26-3 record. Filipino Villanueva has lost in previous title shots for the IBF super fly and interim WBO bantam titles.

Frenchman Michel Soro will get another chance to win a version of the WBA super welter title when he faces Russian Magomed Kurbanov in Marseilles on 20 July for the secondary title. The Ivory Coast-born Soro lost a split decision against Argentinian Brian Castano for the interim title in 2017 his only loss in his last 17 fights. Russian Kurbanov, 23, has won all of his 17 fights.

Still on the France scene heavyweight prospect Tony Yoka isscheduled to return to the ring on 13 July in Antibes against Alex Dimitrenko but there could be a problem with the big Russian. He retired after five rounds in his fight in Carson, California with Andy Ruiz on 20 April. Due to a suspected shoulder fracture the Californian Commission gave Dimitrenko a 180 day suspension. However if Dimitrenko can pass a medical the suspension will be lifted so he could still be Yoka’s opponent. The Antibes show will also feature former European super welter champion Cedric Vitu and unbeaten prospects Elie Konki, Souleymane Cissokho and Michel Tavares,

As far as injured boxers goes it is a good news-bad news scenario. Former WBC light heavy champion Adonis Stevenson is back with his family and making a very good recovery from the brain operation he had following his loss to Olek Gvozdyk in December. Stevenson is already talking about going back to the gym but as a trainer.

The news about heavyweight Denis Boytsov is not good at all. His injuries are not boxing related but he is in dire straits. Four years after being found on a Berlin subway track with serious head and leg injuries Boytsov in still unable to stand upright , has great difficulty speaking and very little mobility. In the space of just a few hours Boytsov went from being a promising heavyweight with a 36-1 record to an invalid with no real future. Life can be very cruel at times.